While inspecting an agricultural shipment at the Otay Mesa cargo facility, Customs and Border Protection officers discovered a previously unseen insect, the agency reported Thursday.
The specimen was discovered July 19 in a shipment of pocket leaves, an herb used in Thai and Vietnamese cooking, that was diverted for an intensive agriculture inspection.
The unusual insect was spotted in the leaves and sent to the Department of Agriculture for identification. As a precaution, the shipment and its driver returned to Mexico.
On Aug. 3, the insect was identified as Rhabdotalebra signata, a species that had not been recorded in the Agriculture Department’s pest identification database.
“It is truly a remarkable achievement discovering a first-of-its-kind pest in our nation. Our agriculture specialists’ role will continue to aid in safeguarding our environment and agriculture,” said Rosa Hernandez, Otay Mesa port director.
The CBP did not provide information on the potential danger of the pest, and there is little public information about it online other than it is native to Colombia, Venezuela, Panama and Costa Rica.
