Kingdom Animalia Subclass Acari Family Trombiculidae Scientific name Trombicula autumnalis Rank Species | Phylum Arthropoda Order Trombidiformes Genus Trombicula Higher classification Neotrombicula | |
Similar Trombicula, Neotrombicula, Berry bugs, Trombidium holosericeum, Limax | ||
Trombiculose ao tat rouget vendengeon trombicula autumnalis
The harvest mite, Trombicula autumnalis, is a species of mite of the family Trombiculidae. Their larvae live parasitically; they infect all domestic mammals, humans, and some ground-nesting birds.
Contents
Neotrombicula autumnalis
Description
The larvae are normally orange or red in color with six legs, but develop eight legs by nymph stage. The larvae are up to 0.2 millimetres (0.008 in) in size. The adult mites are about 1 mm (0.04 in) long.
Life cycle
The eggs are laid in damp soil. After hatching, the larvae climb blades of grass and wait for a potential host.
With their "blade-like chelicerae", they attach themselves to the host and feed on its tissues. After sucking, which lasts several days, they fall off and develop over three stages of nymph to adult mites.
References
Trombicula autumnalis Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA