MITES

PHYLUM : Arthropoda
SUBPHYLUM : Chelicerata
CLASS : Arachnida
SUBCLASS : Acari (mites and ticks)
• Mites form a very large group

• Includes:
– many plant pests
– beneficial species
– external parasites of other animals

• An important characteristic of the group is the

ability to rapidly develop resistance to chemical
insecticides

• They can typically endure extremely adverse

environments
 Mite Morphology
• All are extremely small

• Abdomen broadly joined to cephalothorax

• Most have piercing/sucking mouthparts

• Some with chewing mouthparts

• Hypostome lacking in most

• Most are 8-legged except for the 1st instar which is 6-

legged

• Most species are oviparous (lay eggs)

❖ Very diverse group of Arachnids

❖ About 50,000 species identified

❖ Occupy most aquatic and terrestrial

habitats

❖ Major component of crops and

forests (either as pest or natural
enemy)

❖ Range in size from 300μm to 500 μm

in length

❖ Very large red velvet mites can be 10

– 20mm

❖ Mites are important in recycling

minerals in leaf litter in forests and
agricultural soils
❖ Most mites have oval-shaped body

❖ Possess two body regions

❖ Piercing-sucking mouthparts –
phytophagous and predatory mites

❖ Some have biting-chewing mouthparts –

stored grain mites
 Differences between Insects and Mites

Part Insects Mites

Body Head, thorax, abdomen Gnathosoma and Idiosoma
Antenna Present Absent
Wings Present Absent
Legs 3 pairs 4 pairs
❖ Body of mites divided into 2
regions:

❖ Gnathosoma
❖ Anterior body part
❖ This part is movable

❖ Idiosoma
❖ Posterior body part
❖ Connected to gnathosoma
❖ Idiosoma is further divided into:
❖ Anterior podosoma
❖ Posterior opisthosoma
Mite Life cycle
Mites can be divided into 4 major groups:

❖ Phytophagous (plant feeding) mites

❖ Predatory mites

❖ Stored grain and stored product mites

❖ Parasitic mites (medical and veterinary importance)

 Tetranychidae

❖ Both nymphs and adults feed on leaf surface

❖ Feeding results in white spots which turn

chlorotic

❖ Tetranychid mites secrete substance into

plant cells Leaf bronzing, stippling, scorching

❖ Can consume as much as 50% body

weight/hour of plant tissue

❖ Results in:
❖ Leaf bronzing
❖ Stippling
❖ Scorching
❖ Webbing
❖ Black faecal droplets seen on leaf
Black faecal droplets Webbing
 Eriophyidae
❖ Occur on all parts of plant

❖ Plant may or may not exhibit damage

symptoms

❖ Type of damage classified as:

❖ a) GALL FORMERS:
❖ Feeding causes hypertrophy of plant cells
❖ Causes galls on leaves, flower buds and
stems
❖ Galls classified on shape – pouch galls,
bead galls, finger galls
Eriophyidae
❖ Type of damage classified as: Leaf rollers

❖ b) LEAF ROLLERS:
❖ Mites roll whole leaf or edges and
feed within rolls

❖ c) ERINEUM FORMERS: Erineum formers

❖ Feeding causes epidermal layer of
cells to produce hair-like growth
which produce erineum

❖ d) BLISTER MITES:
❖ Feeding causes formation of
blisters on leaf - mites feed within
blisters Blister mites
 Tenuipalpidae

❖ Generally feed on the ventral surface of

leaf near midrib or veins

❖ Symptoms include bronzing and rusting

due to feeding activity
Raoiella indica (Red palm mite)

❖ Some species form galls on leaves and

stems

Brevipalpus sp.
Tarsonemidae
❖ Infests young parts of plants
❖ Sucks sap from:
❖ Buds
❖ Leaves
❖ Shoots
❖ Flowers

❖ Cause:
❖ Curling Broad mite, Polyphagotarsonemus latus
❖ Crinkling
❖ Brittleness of foliage

❖ Damage usually confused with

disease symptoms
Predatory mites
❖ Predatory mites feed on:
❖ pest mites and their eggs

❖ Sometimes on nematodes

❖ Usually:
❖ Red
❖ Yellow
❖ Green
❖ Fast moving with long legs
 Mites of Medical Importance
• Acariasis – rare

• Allergies – extremely common

• Dermatitis

• Skin-Invading Mites (hair follicle, Sarcoptes)

• Disease Transmission

• Psychological Disorders
 Allergies and House Dust Mites
Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus

• Extremely common and prolific

• Body fragments and faecal material

are allergens

• Life cycle completed in 19-30 days

• Feed on shed skin of humans

• Sensitive to relative humidity < 60%

 Chiggers
Family: Trombiculidae

• Only 1st instar larvae pierce skin, suck fluid

• Other stadia are predators

• Adults are about 1mm long, oval, figure 8

shaped

• Females inseminated by stalked

spermatophores

• Larvae wait on vegetation for CO2 air

current

• Chiggers also known as ‘bête rouge’

 Skin-Invading Follicle Mites
• Demodex spp. mites

• Host specific
– most common human species
– D. folliculorum and D. brevis

• Lives in
– pores of hair follicles
– especially on the face and in
eyelashes

• Incidence increases with age

 Skin-Invading
Sarcoptes scabiei (Scabies mite)
• Causes scabies in humans

• Also cause mange in many

animals

• Clinical forms of scabies:

– Papular
– Bullous
– Nodular
– Crusted
 Types of Scabies

Papular Scabies – most common Bullous Scabies

Nodular Scabies Crusted Scabies

 Mange is a bigger problem

Demodectic Mange (Red Mange) Sarcoptic Mange

• Caused by follicle mites - Caused by Sarcoptes mites
– Host loses control because of - Highly contagious
another problem
– Not normally contagious
 Rickettsialpox – Rickettsia akari
• Eschar (1-1.5cm) appears about 1 week before fever
• Develops into small ulcer with dark crust
• Regional lymphadenopathy present
• Intermittent fever lasts about 1 week
• Chills, profuse sweating, headache, photophobia, and muscle
pains
• Generalized maculopapular rash with intraepidermal vesicles
• Absent on palms and soles
• Disease is mild - no deaths reported
 Pathogens Transmitted by Mites

• Scrub Typhus

– Transmitted by various chigger species

– Different species have different

seasonal/geographic distributions

– Chiggers themselves are reservoirs

– Symptoms occur 6-18 days after bite

– Lymph node enlargement,

splenomegaly, encephalitis,
respiratory and circulatory failure