The coconut mite, Aceria guerreronis Keifer, attacks young fruits of the coconut palm, Cocos nucifera L., to which it is almost exclusively confined. The mites are small, with the largest stage around 250 µm in length, but they often build up extremely large and dense populations, in which case their feeding causes scarring and distortion of the fruits, and may cause premature fruit drop. It is one of the worst arthropod pests of coconut palm, whether grown as a crop tree or as an ornamental, and is the only eriophyid mite that is a serious pest of coconut palm. It is distributed in many tropical countries where coconuts grow. In Florida it is very prevalent on coconut palms on the Florida Keys, and occurs sporadically on the mainland. Three additional eriophyid mites occur on coconut palms in Florida, including Acathrix trymatus Keifer, Acrinotus denmarki Keifer, and Amrinus coconuciferae Keifer. These are found principally on the leaves, usually in scarce populations that do not cause significant damage. There is a world total of at least 12 eriophyid mite species associated with coconut palms.

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Website: http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/palms/Aceria_guerreronis.htm