Red velvet mite

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Red velvet mite
Trombidium holosericeum

Trombidium holosericeum

Systematics
Order : Trombidiformes
Subordination : Prostigmata
Superfamily : Trombidioidea
Family : Land and plant mites (Trombidiidae)
Genre : Trombidium
Type : Red velvet mite
Scientific name
Trombidium holosericeum
( Linnaeus , 1758)
Red velvet mite (In Namibia )

The red velvet mite ( Trombidium holosericeum ), also velvet mite, is a member of the family of land and plant mites (Trombidiidae) from the subclass of mites .

features

The species reaches a length of up to four millimeters. The body is soft-skinned and has thick scarlet hair, creating a velvety impression. The eyes are small and clearly stalked. The jaw claws ( chelicerae ) are shaped like scissors, while the pedipalps have developed into tactile organs.

distribution

The red velvet mite is widespread in Central Europe and can be found almost everywhere. You can often see them walking around on the ground or on walls in the sunshine. They colonize different habitats such as forest edges, dry grass or walls.

Way of life

The larvae of the red velvet mite develop parasitically on various insects such as butterflies and grasshoppers , but also on harvestmen . There you can often see them sucking hemolymph under the wings of the hosts as almost undivided sac-shaped structures . Freely moving nymphs develop from the larvae , whose way of life is similar to that of adult mites. The animals living on the ground primarily suck out insect eggs, but also hunt other small ground animals.

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Web links

Commons : Red velvet mite  album with pictures, videos and audio files