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Family Erythraeidae

Mite? on bag-worm on milkweed Mite attack - Balaustium Erythraeid? Tiny Harvestman? Long-legged Velvet Mite Mite - Leptus Red Long-legged mite- Trombidium holosericeum? - Callidosoma Bright red hairy mite - Lasioerythraeus
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Chelicerata (Chelicerates)
Class Arachnida (Arachnids)
Subclass Acari (Mites and Ticks)
Superorder Acariformes
Order Trombidiformes
Suborder Prostigmata (Prostigs)
Infraorder Anystina
No Taxon (Parasitengona)
No Taxon (Erythraeina)
Superfamily Erythraeoidea (Long-Legged Velvet Mites)
Family Erythraeidae
Explanation of Names
Described by Robineau-Desvoidy, 1828.
Numbers
This family includes 33 genera grouped in five subfamilies.
Remarks
Erythraeid larvae are parasitic as larvae. Like ticks on us, parasitengone larvae engorge on host fluids and drop off. Unlike ticks, then they "pupate" (not true pupation, it's actually the protonymph stage which is inactive, therefore called a calyptostatic protonymph) on the ground and emerge as predatory deutonymphs, which look totally different than larvae (relatively hairless with six legs). When deutonymphs have fed enough, they "pupate" (actually the calyptostatic tritonymph) again, and emerge as predacious adults. The deutonymphs and adults are both velvety and have eight legs, but generally look quite different in coloration and body size/shape. [comment by Ray Fisher]
Print References
C. Welbourn and O. P. Young, New genus and species of Erythraeinae (Acari: Erythraeidae) from Mississippi with a key to the genera of North American Erythraeidae, Annals of the Entomological Society of America 80(2):230-242, 1987.(1)
Works Cited
1.New genus and species of Erythraeinae ... from Mississippi with a key to the genera of North American Erythraeidae
C. Welbourn and O. P. Young. 1987. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 80(2):230-242.