Rare S. African bug visits Miami

MIAMI, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- A rare insect new to the United States was apprehended in Miami's airport when it entered the country in a shipment of South African flowers, an official said.

The Miami Herald reported the bug, Uttaris pallidipennis Stal, a species of the Hemiptera order, was discovered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Aug. 20 at Miami International Airport. The flowers were sent past customs, but the insect is being held by U.S. Department of Agriculture entomology experts.

``Whenever you have an insect that is not native, there is really no way to tell how much damage it can do until it actually gets out and starts to eat,'' said USDA spokesman Jose Castellano, referring to the insect's potential harm to south Florida's ecosystem.

The recent visitor comes at a time when invasive whiteflies and Red bay ambrosia beetles and invasive whiteflies pose a problem to the landscaping and avocado industries in south Florida. Entomologists do not yet know whether the bug will cause damage, the newspaper reported.