Erythraeidae

Taxonomy

Erythraeidae is a family of mites that fall under the Trombidiformes order, specifically the Prostigmata suborder. Erythraeidae falls into the Arachnida class under the arthropod phyla, and is part of the broader animal kingdom. The Prostigmata us a suborder of mites within the Trombidiformes order that contains the “sucking” members of the mite family. Many species of Prostigmata are known as notorious plant pests, but many others live as parasites on different vertebrate species. Certain other members of this family can even prey on small invertebrates, and many alter their food source as they mature.

Body Composition

Erythraeidae have oval shaped bodies, and are typically bright red in color, sometimes with white on the idiosoma dorsum. They are relatively large (1000-2500 μm as adults) and have many small hairs covering their bodies. Their first and fourth pair of legs are especially long & adapted for running. These mites have either one or two pairs of eyes and can be distinguished from similar families by the presence of a single claw on the tibia of the palp.

The Trombidiformes order is characterized by several traits that unite the Prostigmata. These characteristics include anamorphic segments, hysterosomal segment C with fewer than four pairs of setae, and hysterosomal segments D and E with fewer than two pairs of setae. Many trombidiform mites have a pad-like or rayed median empodium rather than the claw-like empodium of sarcoptifoms. Within the Trombidiformes order, the Prostigmata group is united by stigmatal openings to their tracheal system located near the base of the mouthpart.

Life Cycle

These mites have three active life stages, beginning as a larva, moving to a deutonymph and eventually becoming an adult mite. Many larval forms of Erythraeidae mites are parasitic on various other arthropods, but adults are non-parasitic predators. Larvae bite a hole into the cuticula of a host and use a stylostome, a body part that acts as a sort of straw, to drink the host’s body fluids and dissolved body tissues. Several Erythraeidae species feed on bees in their larval forms.

References

1. Proctor, Heather. 1998. Trombidiformes. Trombidiform mites. Version 09 August 1998. http://tolweb.org/Trombidiformes/2568/1998.08.09 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

2. Proctor, Heather. 1998. Acariformes. The "mite-like" mites. Version 09 August 1998. http://tolweb.org/Acariformes/2563/1998.08.09 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

3. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 127, Issue 2, 1 October 1999, Pages 113–276, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1096-3642.1999.tb00677.x

4. Gerd Alberti, Joanna Mąkol, Fine structure of the urnulae of Balaustium mites (Actinotrichida: Erythraeidae) representing peculiar defense organs, Arthropod Structure & Development, Volume 42, Issue 6, 2013, Pages 483-494, ISSN 1467-8039, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asd.2013.09.003.