Subject: Weird Little Red Spider
Geographic location of the bug: Bendigo, Victoria, Australia
Date: 11/03/2019
Time: 01:05 AM EDT
Your letter to the bugman: I found this weird little thing just chilling on my school desk, and had never seen a spider like it so though to see if someone else knows what it is. He’s not very big at all, would only be a centimetre across at most. He wasn’t found near anything natural at all but in the middle of the school. There are some small bits of bush around and in the school as well. It is at the end of Spring right now, almost at Summer in Australia.I’m not sure what other information might be useful so email me if you need to know something else.
Thanks for your time, Lochie
How you want your letter signed: Lachlan
Dear Lachlan,
This is not a Spider but it is an Arachnid. This is a Velvet Mite in the family Trombidiidae. You can find information on Velvet Mites on Arachne.org.au and on Owlcation. Velvet Mites are often found in arid regions after a rain.
I wouldn’t want to commit myself, but I think this may be a species of Erythraeidae rather than Trombidiidae. The mouthparts are retractable in erythraeids but not in trombidiids, so trombidiids have a visible ‘head’ that erythraeids don’t. The individual in the photo appears to not have this.
Thanks for pointing out the possibility this is a member of a different Mite family.