Brevipalpus oncidii, a new record for Australia is not a vector of Orchid fleck virus

Brevipalpus oncidii Baker was detected for the first time in Australia naturally present as a pest on Brassia verrucosa Bateman ex Lindl. orchids. Although the majority of Brevipalpus species are believed to be predominantly thelytokous, males in the population described in this study were observed to be sexually functional. In repeated transmission studies, this B. oncidii population failed to successfully acquire an isolate of Orchid fleck virus (OFV) and transmit to cymbidium hosts. Mites fed on OFV-infected cymbidium leaves initially tested positive for OFV, but this was lost within 48 hours in absence of the OFV host suggesting failure to internalize the virus within the mite.