Class Arachnida

Order Acari

 

Life history

 

Spider mite (left) and phytoseiid mite (right). (301) Photo: John Davidson	Female abdomen rounded; male abdomen pointed; larva 3 legs
Mite life history

 

Order Acari, Mites and ticks

The class Arachnida includes spiders, mites, scorpions, and related 8-legged arthropods that are not insects.

The two largest orders of arachnids are spiders and mites. Arachnids have chelicerae that are fang-like or pincher-like mouthparts. Like all adult arachnids, most adult spider mites and ticks have eight legs, while larva have only six. However, eriophyid mites, as discussed in the pest section, have only four legs. Most mite families are predaceous. Only a few families are phytophagous and consume plant juices by sucking out cell contents.

 

Mites can disperse by ballooning or by phoresy, which is hitching a ride on another animal. A mite egg, hatches into a prelarva (which has no mouth or legs and does not feed or move from inside the eggshell), a larva ( six legs), three nymphal stages (protonymph, deuteronymph and tritonymph) and adult( eight legs).

 

 

Morphology:

adults:

1. mouthparts: chelicerae

2. antennae: none

3. legs: walking

4. body segments: one

immatures: larva, nymph

1. Look similar to adults

2. Feed in same habitat

3. Feed on same food as adults

 

Development:

Egg, prelarva, larva, protonymph, deuteronymph, tritonymph, adult

 

Life history:

habitats: Terrestrial

feeding: Some species are phytophagous and consume plant juices by sucking out cell contents. Others are predators

 

Importance in landscapes:  Many mites species attack landscape and greenhouse plants

 

Families:

Leaf vagrant mites, rust mites, eriophyid mites (Family Eriophyidae)

Cyclamen, broad mite, and tarsonemid mites (Family Tarsonemidae)

Free-ranging, spider mites, tetranychid mites (Family Tetranychidae)

Predatory mites (Family Phytoseiidae)

 

In textbook, IPM of Midwest Landscapes

Pests of trees and shrubs

Class Arachnida, Spiders and mites

  Order Acari, Mites and ticks

    Family Eriophyidae, Leaf vagrant mites, rust mites,

      gall mites, erineum mites, eriophyid mites

      ash flower gall mite, Aceria fraxiniflora

      elm eriophyid mite, Aceria parulmi

      eriophyid mites, several species

      hemlock rust mite, Nalepella tsugifoliae

      maple spindlegall mite, Vasates aceriscrumena

      maple velvet erineum gall, several species

    Family Tarsonemidae, Cyclamen and tarsonemid mites

      cyclamen mite, Phytonemus pallidus

    Family Tetranychidae, freeranging, spider mites, tetranychid mites

      boxwood spider mite, Eurytetranychus buxi

      clover mite, Bryobia praetiosa

      European red mite, Panonychus ulmi

      honeylocust spider mite, Eotetranychus multidigituli

      spruce spider mite, Oligonychus ununguis

      twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae