Bag mite
| Bag mite | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Limnochares aquatica | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The sack mite ( Limnochares aquatica ) is a representative of the freshwater mite (Hydrachnellae). It is the most noticeable and largest water mite in Central Europe .
The most striking feature of this species, which can be up to four millimeters long, is its thick, sac-like and blood-red body. In this species, the two pairs of eyes lie on a chitin strip in the center line of the body. The skin is very granulated, but very thin. Outside the water the body collapses and the animals die very quickly. The palps are only short and reach just above the mouth disc.
The sac mites live close to the ground and cannot swim. Instead, they drift or disappear in the mud or in the root balls of aquatic plants .
Water mites feed on various other water organisms, most often water fleas . The sack mite also hunts for larger prey, especially the mosquito larvae . The six-legged larvae of the animals attach themselves to aquatic insects, especially pond runners such as water riders, and live there parasitically . Correspondingly, they hang as small red "pears" of up to 20 individuals on their host.
literature
- Heinz Streble , Dieter Krauter : Life in a drop of water. Microflora and microfauna of freshwater. An identification book. 9th, revised and expanded edition. Kosmos, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-440-08431-0 , p. 316.
Web links
- Limnochares aquatica at Fauna Europaea