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The red spider mite, Tetranychus neocaledonicus André (Acari: Tetranychidae), infests several crops, including coconut palms in Brazil. The Brazilian Green Dwarf (BGD) coconut variety accounts for most of commercial plantations in Brazil and is presumed to be susceptible to this pest. However, despite its growing importance, no studies have addressed the suitability of BGD for T. neocaledonicus or the susceptibility of Dwarf × Tall hybrids to this pest. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the suitability of the BGD for T. neocaledonicus and the susceptibility of Dwarf × Tall coconut hybrids from Embrapa's breeding program to this pest. To this end, life table parameters of T. neocaledonicus on BGD were estimated using life table analysis. In addition, the instantaneous growth rate (ri) and preference studies were conducted to assess the susceptibility of 15 newly developed Dwarf × Tall hybrids to T. neocaledonicus. Specifically, the preference for contrasting hybrids, i.e., those on which the mites exhibited the highest and lowest instantaneous growth rates, was assessed using two-choice arenas for up to 72 hours. Regarding biological parameters, the egg-to-adult developmental period of T. neocaledonicus on BGD lasted approximately 13 days for females and roughly 12 days for males. Apart from the shorter embryonic period for females, the duration of the remaining developmental stages did not differ between sexes. The sex ratio (0.61) was female-biased. The life table parameters were estimated as follows: net reproductive rate (R0) = 10.57♀/♀, mean generation time (T) = 20.03 days, and intrinsic rate of increase (rm) = 0.12 ♀/♀/day. Moreover, the instantaneous growth rate (ri) of T. neocaledonicus differed among hybrids, with the highest values recorded for hybrid 9 and the lowest for hybrid 16. However, T. neocaledonicus did not show a preference for either of the contrasting hybrids. In conclusion, T. neocaledonicus successfully develops and reproduces adequately on BGD, confirming the potential of this mite to cause damage to commercial coconut plantations. Furthermore, some hybrids showed contrasting patterns of susceptibility and resistance to T. neocaledonicus based on instantaneous growth rate (ri), although additional confirmatory studies are warranted.