Mite

For the small coin, see Greek lepton.

Mites, together with ticks, belong to the order Acarina (also known as Acari) and the class Arachnida. Mites are among the most diverse and successful of all the invertebrate groups. They have exploited an incredible array of habitats and because of their small size (some are microscopic) most go totally unnoticed. Many live freely in the soil or water, but there is also a large number of species that live as parasites on plants or animals.

Some of the plant pests include the so called spider mites (family Tetranychidae), thread-footed mites (family Tarsonemidae), and the gall mites (family Eriophyidae). Among the species that attack animals there are members of the Sarcoptic Mange mites (family Sarcoptidae), which burrow under the skin. Perhaps the most well known, though, is the house dust mite (family Pyroglyphidae).

Insects may also have parasitic mites. Examples are Varroa destructor which attaches to the body of the honeybee and Acarapis woodi, which lives in the tracheae of honeybees. There are hundreds of species of mites associated with other bee species, and most are poorly described and understood. Some are thought to be parasites, while others beneficial symbionts.

There are 45,000 different types of mites. Scientists believe that we have only found 5% of the species of mites. Mites have been around for 400 million years.

The scientific discipline devoted to the study of ticks and mites is called acarology.

Systematics

For the systematics of mites, see Acarina.

Mite

Systematics

External links

See also