The U.S Customs and Border Protection (CBP)  agency discovered a rare pest a Cochabamba sp, in a commercial shipment of Mexican mangosteen, the first such discovery made in the U.S.

In a statement, the CBP said that the specimen was intercepted by CBP agriculture specialists at the Pharr cargo facility on the Mexican border with Texas on May 2, 2022.

The insect was then submitted for identification to a U.S. Department of Agriculture entomology laboratory and the initial identification was later confirmed as Cochabamba sp.

The Cochabamba sp. is a species that belongs to what is called the leaf beetle family. This pest can cause agricultural and economic damage as their larvae skeletonize the leaf surface and adults eat plant and tree leaves and cause damage to foliage.

This pest is found in Central and South America and its travel pattern indicates that it is migrating north. The shipment was refused entry and returned to Mexico.

According to USDA entomologists, this pest has never been found at any of the nation’s ports of entry.