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Velvet Mites and Chiggers (Trombidioidea)
Photo#414171
Copyright © 2010
John Beetham
Fly with red parasites
Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA
June 20, 2010
I found this fly struggling with three parasites (mites?) attached to its underside. Can anyone identify either the fly or its tormentors?
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Contributed by
John Beetham
on 20 June, 2010 - 6:06pm
Last updated 26 July, 2010 - 12:11pm
Moved
Moved from
ID Request
.
…
Ken Schneider
, 13 July, 2010 - 3:52pm
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Mites
The mites are larval trombidioids.
…
Ray Fisher
, 8 July, 2010 - 5:41pm
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Thanks...
... for the help with the parasites.
…
John Beetham
, 10 July, 2010 - 9:47pm
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Thanks Ray!
Guilty of tormenting the fly or innocent ride-catchers?
…
Ken Schneider
, 8 July, 2010 - 5:44pm
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Parasites
Trombidioids (velvet mites... the group to which chiggers belong) are beautiful lumbering predators as adults, and parasitic as larvae. Most parasitize arthropods, like this syrphid, and once engorged will drop off and "pupate" into the predator stages.
…
Ray Fisher
, 10 July, 2010 - 11:30pm
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Curious...
How did you know the fly was a syrphid?
…
John Beetham
, 13 July, 2010 - 5:27pm
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Syrphidae
If you look at your cropped image, you can see the closed wing cells, but general gestalt is the best way. I don't know a whole lot of other flies that look anything like that with all closed wing cells, and that are attacked by trombidioids. For some reason, syrphids are very common hosts for velvet mites.
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Ray Fisher
, 13 July, 2010 - 9:20pm
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Thanks
... for the explanation.
…
John Beetham
, 13 July, 2010 - 9:55pm
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Crop?
If possible, could you please crop this image so that the fly and hangers-on fill most of the frame? It will help our experts see the bugs a lot better... Thanks!
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Ken Schneider
, 8 July, 2010 - 4:44pm
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Done
I'm not sure how much this will help.
…
John Beetham
, 8 July, 2010 - 5:30pm
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Thanks!
It will help quite a bit - can see the wing venation on the fly much better in the cropped pic, for example. If you don't get a comment here soon, suggest moving to Diptera page for expert attention.
…
Ken Schneider
, 8 July, 2010 - 5:36pm
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