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#arachnids

4 posts3 participants1 post today
Public
neville park

Bonus #MiteMonday: a _Balaustium_ sidewalk mite feeding on pollen from a horse-chestnut flower (which I put down to attract them and get photos).

These mites can be found in great numbers this time of year, very visible on surfaces like concrete and bricks, hence the name. As well as pollen and sap I've seen them feeding on dead bugs. Some are purely raspberry-red, others have this longer white coat or just white patches, others have a gorgeous blue-green iridescent sheen.

The pair of red protuberances are not eyes but special structures called urnulae, which secrete various useful substances like a defensive chemical/alarm pheromone, and a "waterproofing" compound that prevents their cuticle from drying out (useful as they spend a lot of time running around in the sun).

A dark red mite with long legs and a short white velvety coat, just in the middle of feeding on a clump of bright orange-red pollen on a paving-stone. It's dwarfed by the long curved white stamen of a horse-chestnut flower, topped with a very large mass of pollen.
#DailyMitePic#Mitestodon#arachnids
Public *
neville park

Little red mites of spring!

- A larval sidewalk mite (_Balaustium_) eating pollen
- A young whirligig mite (family Anystidae) eating clover mite eggs (the little reddish balls)
- Sumo mites (_Allothrombium_) wrestling
- and lastly, a clover mite (_Bryobia_), which isn't really that red when full grown but which all of the other mites are frequently misidentified as. They won't be out much longer, they go dormant in the hot months.

A tiny six-legged (and therefore larval) red mite with a vaguely oval body feeding on an infinitesimally small speck of yellow pollen on rock.
A tiny squarish bright red mite sinking its mouthparts into a tiny dark red ball, one of many in the crevices of tree bark.
Two large, wrinkly, velvety red mites chasing each other on a shady tree root.
A slightly flat, finely wrinkled dark blueish mite with light red legs and mouthparts, on tree bark.
#DailyMitePic#Mitestodon#arachnids
Public
neville park

#MiteMonday: this weekend I got out to my sumo mite (_Allothrombium_) tree to catch some wrestling bouts!

It is some kind of sexual competition thing: certain males seem to stake out a little patch and aggressively defend it against all comers. The females, I think, are the larger ones who take little notice of the fights and mostly wedge themselves into crevices in bark? Courtship rituals seem to involve leg-tapping and walking around each other in circles. I am wildly curious about what's actually going on.

Two red velvet mites, plump, wrinkly mites with broad "shoulders" and narrower butts, start to grapple on a lichen-speckled tree root shaded by grass.
Another pair of mites try to grip each other with their long front legs, just like sumo wrestlers. Their fuzzy pelts are easier to see in this photo.
One mite tries to sink its pedipalps into its opponent. They're also on a near-vertical surface.
The hollowed, gnarled tree root in the grass where all these dramas are taking place. If you zoom in you can see a number of mites near the centre. They are about 2-4mm in body length.
#DailyMitePic#Mitestodon#arachnids
Public
neville park

#MiteMonday: a red velvet mite (_Allothrombium_) sneakily snacks on midges from a spider's web. I also saw a red-winged blackbird eating a midge-filled spiderweb, too. At this time of year, the few spiders that overwintered catch so many midges that their webs almost collapse under the weight—more than they could possibly eat. I wonder how much midge biomass these spiders inadvertently make available to other animals!

On a bright yellow-painted post, a plush red velvet mite sinks its mouthparts into a dead midge caught in spiderweb.
#DailyMitePic#Mitestodon#arachnids
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