STRANGE RED FUZZY LOOKING BUG-FROM BAJA
Hello Bugman,
I think I’ve discovered a new bug, but maybe it has already been discovered and you could tell me. I call it the "Red Jelly" bug from the Los Cabos Area of baja. This bug only comes out after big rains or hurricanes and is gone a few days later when the ground starts to dry up. It has 6 legs and two large antennas, or maybe it is a spider with 8 legs but it is hard to tell. It’s body is bright red and shiny like velvet, looks a little like a brain formation with legs and it is soft and almost "jelly like". It’s about the size of half a pea and seems non-aggressive. Please write me back to tell me what you think it is and if it could be poisonous due to it’s color. Thank you very much.
Paul Kops
Hi Paul,
We would have been able to give you an identification without a photo thanks to your vivid description, but we are thrilled to be able to include your photos with your letter. These are Angelitos, or Velvet Mites, Angelothrombium species. They attract attention when they emerge following rains. According to Hogue: “The larvae are parasites on grasshoppers and adults are predators on subterranean termites.” Velvet Mites are not poisonous and pose no threat to humans.