| Red Velvet Mites (Trombidioidea (Banks, 1894)) |
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Scientific name: Trombidioidea (Banks, 1894) Common name: Red Velvet Mites French name: Trombidions Order: Trombidiformes Family: Trombidioidea Size: Up to 5mm for the larger species. Biotope: Forests, under the litter or among mosses, but also in many other various habitats including sandy deserts. Web: No web. Observation period: Geographic area: |
The Trombidioidea superfamily belongs to the Prostogmata sub-order. It includes many small-sized acari species with a red or orange red velvety coating. The Trombidioidea superfamily includes the following families, Achaemenothrombiidae, Eutrombidiidae, Microtrombidiidae, Neothrombiidae, Podothrombiidae, Trombidiidae, Yurebillidae. I haven't found any information allowing to point to one family or another with pictures only. Adult Red Velvet Mites have a body in one part and 4 pairs of legs. They use their two front legs to sense their environment. They have one pair of eyes. They are predators which often walk out of their hide when it rains. The larvae have only 3 pairs of legs. They grow as parasites on other arthropods. |
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I have photographed this tiny Red Velvet Mite inside the house. I have read that the Trombidium holosericeum species is one of the most common species in the Palaearctic zone, but I have no element to link this species to my observation. This may also be Allothrombium fuliginosum, which is characterized by a furry body, widened at the shoulders and bright red in colour. |
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Here is another specimen which is very similar to the previous one. I have observed it on the ground next to my compost tank. |
André Bon November 2020