A first-in-port insect was discovered at Port Manatee on fruit imported from Mexico, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations agriculture specialists at Port Manatee found a first-in-port pest, the Ozophora consanquinea Distant (Rhyparochromidae) in a shipment from that arrived from Mexico June 23.
The Ozophora consanquinea Distant, which is not known to occur in the U.S., was found on fresh rambutan fruit, which was also packaged with bananas and mangosteen.
CBP said the container and its commodities were re-exported back to Mexico.
Insects in the Rhyparochromidae are a large family of true bugs in the Superfamily Lygaeoidea, which can be highly mobile and can cause great damage to grain crops.
In fiscal year 2014, there were 66,857 reportable pest interceptions, the CBP said. Each day, CBP helps prevent plant pests and foreign animal diseases from entering the U.S. at over 300 ports of entry.
CBP discovers unusual pest inside shipment from Mexico
