Abstract
The spider mite, Tetranychus takafujii Ehara & Ohashi, was found in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo in Honshu in 2002, and in Kagoshima, Kyushu in 2007. PCR-RFLP analysis of the rDNA ITS 2 gene used to discriminate T. evansi from T. urticae identified T. takafujii from among 11 congeneric Japanese mite species. Our field surveys revealed that T. takafujii was distributed in Fukuoka of Fukuoka Prefecture, many areas of Kagoshima Prefecture, and on Irabujima Island, Okinawa Prefecture. In these areas, T. takafujii occurred on Solunum nigrum, S. carolinense, S. melongena, S. americanum, S. lycopersicum, S. lycopersicum var. cerasiforme, S. tuberosum and Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii.
