What’s ON that bug? Ranatra w/ orange bumps
Thu, Jul 2, 2009 at 3:12 PM
I recently tracked down the ID of this odd insect in a local pond as a Water Scorpion (Ranatra spp.), but all of the individuals I’ve seen so far are covered in strange, orange bumps that do not appear to be “normal” or common. Do you have any idea what these might be caused by? The pond is next to the building I work in and appears to be the result of dam work by the local beaver’s union. There is plenty of food for these guys with damsel flies, tadpoles in the thousands and other small, crunchy things. The other wildlife in the area does not appear to be suffering from any apparent disease or sicknesses and the vegetation around the pond appears to be thriving.
Eric Snyder
Issaquah, WA 98027
Water Scorpion with Phoretic Mites
Hi Eric,
Congratulations on identifying the Water Scorpion in the genus Ranatra. That is not an easy identification. The orange bumps are Aquatic Mites. The Aquatic Mites often use flying aquatic insects to get from one body of water to another, a behavior known a phoresy. Some time back when we posted an image of a ToeBiter with mites, we got this comment from a reader.
Previous Comment on similar posting: Mites on the toe-biter?
Hi Daniel and Lisa Anne,
About the email on the Toe Biter from Tom on (01/27/2007) who talks about having 12 red mites on his Toe Biter? I remember seeing mites on aquatic insects, looking suspicious, and so I looked it up, and it turns out that *all* of the more than 5,000 known species of aquatic mites (Hydracarina) are partly parasitic. When they are larvae, aquatic mites are parasitic on aquatic insects, but as adults the mites become free-swimming and predatory. Winged aquatic insects, such as the toe biters, fly around of course, and that way the mites are spread from one body of water to another. You can read a lot more interesting stuff about them at:
http://www.tolweb.org/Parasitengona
And at :
http://www.tolweb.org/Hydracarina
Best to you as always,
Susan J. Hewitt
Red Fuzzy Bug of Southern Arizona
Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 11:06 AM
Dear WTB: I live in Cochise County of southern Arizona. We had our first real rain of the monsoon yesterday. This morning I went to feed my horses and found these little red bugs everywhere. They seem to be burrowing out of the ground. They are small, but some bigger than others. Some have white spots and some are all red. I watched one help another burrow out!!!! So what are they and do they bite!
Deni
Saint David, Arizona
Velvet Mite
Hi Deni,
These are Velvet Mites in the family Trombidiidae. According to BugGuide: “Larvae are parasitic on insects. Adults eat insect eggs.” BugGuide also indicates that there are thousands of species. The one with the white markings matches some images on BugGuide from the genus Dinothrombium which is reported from Texas and Arizona. According to Charles Hogue in his landmark book Insects of the Los Angeles Basis, our local representatives from the family are called Angelitos. Hogue writes: “There is probably more than one species of giant red velvet mite in the deserts of southern California. But at least one occasionally emerges in the dry eastern margins of the basin in large numbers, usually following a rain. These creatures never fail to attract attention because of their large size (the body length of adults is about 1/4 to 5/8 in., or 5 to 8 mm) and brilliant crimson furry bodies. The larvae are parasites of grasshoppers, and the adults are predators on subterranean termites. The adults remain in the soil most of the year and spend only a few hours above grouns, probably to feast on their prey, which also respond to rains by emerging in numbers. Little else is known of their biology.” From what Hogue writes, it would seem that the rain triggered the emergence in Arizona as well.
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Posted 02 July 2009
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Bronze Mite from Vasquez Rocks
Tue, Apr 21, 2009 at 4:07 PM
While hiking in the Vasquez Rocks north of Los Angeles, I saw an absolutely remarkable flash of bronze scurry over a rock. The image does not do it justice by any stretch of the imagination. Although very small, the totally metallic sheen on this guy made him stand out quite conspicuously in the bright sun. Would you happen to know what this one is? Velvet mites were everywhere but this one was much bigger; about 2.5mm in diameter. Thanks in advance!
Adriano
Vasquez Rocks, California
Unknown Mite
Hi Adriano,
While it looks different from the Velvet Mites or Angelitos we often get photos of, we suspect your unidentified Mite is closely related. Perhaps an acarologist will write in with a proper identification.
Unknown Assassin with unknown wasp while mites hitch a ride (aussietrev)
Mon, Feb 2, 2009 at 9:40 PM
Hi guys,
Found this tableau on a grass stem. The only thing I know ID for are the red mites on the assassin bug. Both the bug and the wasp are quite tiny. Any ideas anyone?
aussietrev
Queensland, Australia
Assassin Bug with prey and Mites
Hi Trevor,
Sorry for the delay, but we have had a crazy busy week. While we agree with the Assassin Bug and Mites, we are unable to identify the species. We are not convinced the prey is a Wasp. It almost looks like another Hemipteran. We will see if Eric Eaton thinks Hemipteran or Hymenopteran.
Confirmation:
I agree with you, Daniel, the victim here is another hemipteran, something in the family Rhyparochromidae most likely.
Eric
Locust infected with mites?
Thu, Jan 1, 2009 at 8:48 PM
Hi guys,
This locust was very well disguised by colour and textures to fit in with the semi arid landscape and I only spotted it when it jumped out of my way. After processing the shot I noticed the little red attachments. Would they be some type of mite or some other parasite?
aussietrev
Capricornia region, Queensland
Locust with Mites
Hi Trevor,
Your Locust is in the suborder Caelifera and probably one of the Short Horned Grasshoppers in the family Acrididae. We are not certain if the Mites are parasitic, but that is quite likely. There are some mites that infest insects, but they are not parasitic. Rather, they use the insect for transportation purposes, a phenomenon known as phoresy. We are currently experiencing problems with images going live and hope to resolve this very soon.
What the…
Wed, Nov 19, 2008 at 3:55 AM
Hello.. Can you please identify this bug that we have been finding around. We have found it crawling on our body, laptop screen and even in the bathroom.
Help is required
Australia, Melbourne
Tropical Rat Mite, possibly
Dear Help,
We believe you probably need a true specialist for this identification, but we are leaning toward the Tropical Rat Mite, Ornithonyssus bacoti. We first located an image on BugGuide, but it is very tiny. Then we found a wonderful informative website on Biting Mites in Homes. The website states: ”
Rat and bird mite infestations occur in structures where rat or bird nests are located. Infestations are sometimes first noticed following extermination, or after the natural hosts have died or left the structure. Infestations may also occur where heavy mite infestations have developed around a rodent or bird nest. Rat mites are small, approximately the size of the period at the end of this sentence. They move actively and can be picked up with a wet finger, brush or piece of sticky tape. Distinguishing between different species of Ornithonyssus mites to determine whether birds or rodents are the likely source is difficult and requires special expertise. The best first course of action, when faced with biting mite problem is to look for all potential bird or rodent sources.”
It could also be the tropical fowl mite or bird mite (Ornithonyssus bursa). For information check out: http://www.wsahs.nsw.gov.au/icpmr/pdf/0263.pdf Good luck.
KK
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Posted 20 November 2008
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Grandaddy Longlegs
Thu, Oct 30, 2008 at 6:23 AM
Dear Bug Guy, I know that this bug is probably very familiar to everyone, we called it the grandaddy long legs. There was a rumor growing up that if they could bite they would kill you, I never knew if that was true or not, but I never let one get close enough to bite. I saw this particular grandaddy on some wood we were putting away and noticed the little red things on it. Are they eggs, baby grandaddy’s or some other bug hitching a ride. I think their legs look like spark plug wires, I have never seen them this close. So, since we all know what we call these, what is their real name, and what are the little red things attached to it.
Thnaks so much,
Lisa Benningfield
Eastern Kentucky USA
Harvestman with Parasitic Mites
Hi Lisa,
This is a Harvestman in the order Opiliones. They are often called Daddy Long Legs and they are harmless scavengers without venom. The red creatures are Parasitic Mites in the genus Leptus.
Spider carrying orange orbs
Sun, Oct 12, 2008 at 6:53 AM
I found this spider while digging a trench in my lawn in April, 2008. There was no web in sight. The spider seemed to be just walking along. My first thought was that it was carrying it’s eggs somewhere. I took a few pictures, then continued with my trench. After a few days, I began to wonder exactly what kind of spider it was and what it was doing, but haven’t been able to find out any more information. Thanks for your help.
TJ1028
Coastal southern California
Harvestman with Parasitic Mites
Hi TJ1028,
Your spider is actually another type of Arachnid in the order Opiliones, commonly called a Harvestman or Daddy-Long-Legs. The orange orbs appear to be Parasitic Mites in the genus Leptus. We originally thought the Mites were merely hitching a ride, a phenomenon known as Phoresy, but a search of BugGuide revealed the parasitic nature of the Mites. There is some good dialog contributed by the BugGuide readership on the genus Leptus.
is this a burying beetle?
I saw this little guy while hiking near Wilmington, VT, but before i could get close enough for a better shot, he jumped up and flew away. i didn’t even notice the mites on his back until i got home and looked at the picture. is this a burying beetle? are they still endangered? thanks,
Dan
Hi Dan,
Yes, this is a Burying Beetle or Sexton Beetle in the genus Nicrophorus, and the Phoretic Mites are just hitching a ride to a food source, often maggots that are feeding on the decaying carcass the Burying Beetle lays its eggs upon. The mites eat the maggots and leave more food for the beetle larvae. The Burying Beetle and the Phoretic Mites have a symbiotic relationship. We haven’t the time right now to give you an exact species on the Burying Beetle, but it is not the American Burying Beetle, Nicrophorus americanus, the endangered species. The American Burying Beetle is a large beetle with orange markings on the pronotum of the thorax.
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Posted 28 May 2008
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Spider in Anza-Borago Desert
On a recent visit to the Anza-Borago Desert in the late afternoon, many spiders like the one in the attached photo came out of hiding and were crawling around on the ground. The spider had long legs with white dots on them and an orange body with a black area on its back. Sorry the photo is not better. All I had was my little digital camera and these spiders moved fast! Thanks for the help.
Nancy in Minnesota
Hi Nancy,
This is not a spider. It is a Harvestman in the order Opiliones, commonly called Daddy-Long-Legs. It appears your Harvestman is transporting Mites, which use the Harvestman to move from location to location and hopefully, a food source. We are not sure of either the species of Harvestman, or the Mites. We do not want to rule out the possibility that the Harvestman is a female transporting her young. this is a behavior shared by certain other Arachnids, including Wolf Spiders, Scorpions, and Whip Scorpions. We will check with Eric Eaton, but he will probably not respond until Monday.
Update: (04/28/2008)
Daniel:
Yes, those are mites (probably phoretic and not parasitic) on the harvestman.
Eric
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Posted 24 April 2008
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Whats this bug?
I live in Brookville Ohio, my son and I was in our woods and came across a bright red little bug. I was able to get it to crawl upon a leaf and managed to get it back home so I could get my camera. I grabbed my Canon Rebel XT with a 60mm Macro Lens and took some pictures as he crawled across my patio. He looks like a spider, and is much larger than a spider mite. Can you help me identify it.
Nathan Quesinberry
Hi Nathan,
This is a Velvet Mite in the family Trombidiidae.
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Posted 07 April 2008
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Photos of Burying Beetle with Mites
Hey there,
I’m from Nova Scotia and took a couple of photos of this burrying beetle back in late August on the Eastern Shore in Jeddore. I wasn’t sure what it was at the time (looked like an unusual bee to me) but did recognize that it seemed odd and worth photographing. I posted these photos on a local message board this evening asking if anyone happened to see this insect before and someone came back with a link to your site saying they thought it resembled the Burying Beetle. After a quick look myself, I concured. I was also told that apparently, they’re rare in this region. Thought you might appreciate the photos for your site. Sincerely,
Elizabeth Gaudreau, Nova Scotia
Hi Elizabeth,
The beetle is a Tomentose Burying Beetle, Nicrophorus tomentosus, and the Mites are hitching a ride to a new food source, a phenomenon known as Phoresy. The Mites feed on fly eggs and maggots, and as flies are competitors for carrion, having the mites feeding on the maggots is beneficial to the young Burying Beetles as it leaves more food for them.
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Posted 20 December 2007
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Dung Beetle?
I think this is a female Rainbow Scarab, Phanaues vindex. I live in Naples, FL, the extreme SW corner of Florida. I was working outside when she flew or crashed into my forehead. The shot of her belly appears to show something, fungus, other insects, parasites…I don’t know.
Bob
Hi Bob,
You are correct, sort of. This is a female Rainbow Scarab, but the Mites are not parasites. We believe they are hitching a ride (phoresy) on the Dung Beetle as it flies to a fresh pile of dung. Dung also attracts flies and we believe the mites probably prey on Maggots, the larvae of the flies. We hope Eric Eaton can confirm this. There is a wonderful macro photo of the Mites identified as the order Mesostigmata on BugGuide.
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Posted 15 December 2007
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Halloween Pennant question
I’ve been enjoying your site for a while now and decided to seek your thoughts on this Halloween Pennant. Specifically, what are the red balls on the thorax of this pennant? I’ve had no success in finding an answer anywhere and haven’t seen any other pictures showing this. I took this picture in New Jersey in early August. Thanks!
Tom Raub
Strasburg, PA
Hi Tom,
We absolutely love your photo of the Halloween Pennant, Celithemis eponina, with the hitch-hiking Mites. These Mites use the Dragonfly to travel from one body of water to another, a means of transportation known as Phoresy.
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Posted 11 December 2007
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Angelitos picture and question?
They pose not threat?so if I touch it it wont burn?it sure looks like it would.this pic was taken in south texas around mission.if you look at the pic upside down it looks like a face on it.locals call it an angel face.thanks for your site it is really helpful.
To the best of our knowledge, Angelitos or Velvet Mites do not pose a threat to humans. The do feed on the eggs of grasshoppers and on termites. Thanks for your local lore on this distinctive arthropod.
Update: (11/25/2007)
Some additional information on the velvet mite.
There was a Nova episode the other week on killer ants[0] and in it there was some good information on the velvet mite. The people in Cameroon use the first appearance of the velvet mite as a sign that it is time to clear the fields and start planting their millet crops. If the mite is comming out that means it will rain soon.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova /ants/
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Posted 23 November 2007
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Help ID of Bug
Hi- Please help me identify this bug! It’s HUGE! It was 3 inches long when a ruler was placed next to him. I pulled him out of my pool filter- he’s still alive, and really creeped me out! He has some red stuff growing on him. Thanks!
Maria Juliano in New York
Hi Maria,
This is a Giant Water Bug also known as a Toe-Biter. The red growth are probably immature Mites. Here is a reader’s response the last time we got a photo of a Toe-Biter with Mites:
Mites on the toe-biter?
Hi Daniel and Lisa Anne,
About the email on the Toe Biter from Tom on (01/27/2007) who talks about having 12 red mites on his Toe Biter? I remember seeing mites on aquatic insects, looking suspicious, and so I looked it up, and it turns out that *all* of the more than 5,000 known species of aquatic mites (Hydracarina) are partly parasitic. When they are larvae, aquatic mites are parasitic on aquatic insects, but as adults the mites become free-swimming and predatory. Winged aquatic insects, such as the toe biters, fly around of course, and that way the mites are spread from one body of water to another. You can read a lot more interesting stuff about them at:
http://www.tolweb.org/Parasitengona
And at :
http://www.tolweb.org/Hydracarina
Best to you as always,
Susan J. Hewitt
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Posted 10 May 2007
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Burying Beetle: babies or parasites?
I found this swimming around in the cat’s water dish one morning in West Tennessee. I forgot to get a photo with a size reference, but it was about an inch long. I believe it might be a burying beetle? Although its markings differ from the other photos on your site. The freaky part, though, was the swarm of little bugs on its back. They were running around, trying to stay dry. I think they might have eight legs; mites, maybe? At any rate, I put the whole shebang outdoors to continue playing out its drama. I love the site. I saw my first cicada killer last summer, and you guys helped me identify it. Thanks!
D
Hi D,
These are neither babies nor parasites. They are Mites, but they are not parasitic on the beetle. The young beetle larvae eat rotting carrion, so anything that shares the same diet becomes a threat to the survival of the next generation of Burying Beetles or Sexton Beetles. Maggots, the immature form of flies, are competitors for this food source. The Mites eat fly eggs and freshly hatched maggots. The Mites do not fly and have no means of getting to their next meal once they have eaten all the maggots on a corpse. The Burying Beetle flies from food source to food source. The Mites are just hitching a ride on the Beetle. This is a mutually advantageous or symbiotic relationship. The Mites get a new food source, and they devour the competitors for the young beetles’ food supply. Burying Beetles carrying large quantities of Mites have a better chance of producing offspring. Phoresy is the proper term for one organism hitching a ride on a more mobile organism. We have seen photos of some Burying Beetles so laden with Mites, it is a wonder they can fly.
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Posted 14 April 2007
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velvet mite
Gday bugman,
Thanks to your site I was able to identify my little velvet mite which I discovered while photographing mushrooms, even though he was only about 2mm in size I only noticed a little red dot moving around. I found him in the sunshine coast hinterland in QLD Australia. I have attached a few pics for you if you need them. I have also attached pics of an orb spider (I think) and one other spider which I am not sure what he is, maybe you might know. Anyway keep up the great work. Cheers Regards
Phil
Australia.
Hi Phil,
Thanks for the compliments and for your wonderful photos. We really like the view from the back of the Velvet Mite with the forelegs extended.
whats that bug on my bug
This is by far my favorite web site! I have a giant ferocious water-bug in a 10 gallon tank, just as you had suggested to that lady 2 months ago. He is more fascinating than any bug I have ever had…my Potato bug used to eat crickets like they were cheeseburgers. Anyway, there are half a pin head size, red bugs starting to multiply on his back, though they do not look like the photo of eggs you have and it has taken 2 months for the one we could barely see swimming around in the tank to securely attach itself to our bug and multiply into about 12. Any guesses? I will try to get a macro photo of them, but here is one of my favorites…
Tom
Hi Tom,
Thanks for your nice letter. Your Toe Biter sounds like it might be carrying mites around.
Mites on the toe-biter?
Hi Daniel and Lisa Ann,
About the email on the Toe Biter from Tom on (01/27/2007) who talks about having 12 red mites on his Toe Biter? I remember seeing mites on aquatic insects, looking suspicious, and so I looked it up, and it turns out that *all* of the more than 5,000 known species of aquatic mites (Hydracarina) are partly parasitic. When they are larvae, aquatic mites are parasitic on aquatic insects, but as adults the mites become free-swimming and predatory. Winged aquatic insects, such as the toe biters, fly around of course, and that way the mites are spread from one body of water to another. You can read a lot more interesting stuff about them at:
http://www.tolweb.org/Parasitengona
And at :
http://www.tolweb.org/Hydracarina
Best to you as always,
Susan J. Hewitt
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Posted 27 January 2007
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Picture of a velvet mite
We take pics of a lot of insects, reptiles, mammals, etc. For your archives, we send these pics of velvet mites taken at the Empire Ranch in Arizona. These insects only come out for 24-48 hours one time a year during the rainy season. Very curious little creatures.
The appearance of Velvet Mites or Angelitos coincides with the rain. Since the larvae prey on grasshopper eggs, the mites are probably more plentiful in the years following a grasshopper population explosion.
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Posted 23 October 2006
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