It's another #Arachtober #MiteMonday! Here's a whirligig mite (family Anystidae) cleaning its feet. Warning: handheld video! I was able to stabilize it a bit but the camera still moves around.
#ArthroBeauty #DailyMiteVid #Mitestodon #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Anystidae
#Arachtober 2: anystid renaissance! Commonly called whirligig mites for their constant frantic and erratic running, these large (~1 mm*) predatory mites in the family Anystidae have a population boom in early to mid-June and seem to increase in numbers again in autumn, at least around here. They eat aphids, small midges, each other, etc. This one seems to be eating some kind of barklouse (Psocodea)?
* Given that many mites are microscopic, any mite one can clearly see with the naked eye counts as "large".
#ArthroBeauty #LichenSubscribe #arachnids #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Anystidae
Happy post-postscript: today I learned by very carefully pulling the floret petals apart, I could easily free most mites.
Pic 1: whirligig mites stuck on milkweed, circled in magenta.
Pic 2: a rescued whirligig mite drinking on a tissue I put a bit of water on.
#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Anystidae #milkweed
So far there is only one coneflower blooming in the garden. It has attracted hordes of 1) carpet beetles (which feed on pollen as adults); 2) thrips; and 3) minute pirate bugs and 4) whirligig mites, which both eat the thrips.
#bugstodon #insects #beetles #thrips #bugs #arachnids #mites #Coleoptera #Dermestidae #Thysanoptera #Heteroptera #Anthocoridae #Acari #Acariformes #Anystidae
OK, sequel to my post almost exactly 1 year ago about milkweed pollinia…I discovered something amazing!
I was looking at some milkweed plants that had just started flowering and noticed a honeybee trying to get its leg unstuck from a flower. Because it's Peak Anystid, there were also many whirligig mites running around on the flowering umbels. These mites almost never stay still, yet one *was*. Could it also be stuck? YES! It was struggling to get out.
I looked carefully at more of the flowers and found a dead whirligig mite, also with its leg stuck in a flower.
I wonder how many other arthropods accidentally fall prey to the flowers?!
#bugstodon #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Anystidae #milkweed
Whirligig mite tug-of-war commenced. (2/2)
#DailyMiteVid #Mitestodon #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Anystidae
Another vignette from Peak Anystid: any mite with a desirable morsel risks moochers trying to steal it for themselves. These two pictures were taken about 5 minutes apart—note how the first mite turns greenish from eating the bug. (1/2)
#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Anystidae
#DailyMiteVid: whirligig mites (family Anystidae) are happy to eat each other, as you can see from this clip filmed today. I noticed that the mite being eaten seemed to still be alive and moving its limbs; it was only on re-watching the video that I realized it seemed to be cleaning one of its legs!
CW: slightly shaky video moving in & out of focus; mite being altogether too chill about being devoured alive by its fellow
#Mitestodon #MiteBehaviour #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Anystidae
In other news, we have reached Peak Anystid, that short but precious time when it seems like every leaf has a plump little whirligig mite running around on it. They are avid predators and eating is practically the only time they stay still. Here are several from the garden.
#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Anystidae
Happy #ThripsThursday! To everyone except this thrips on a fallen peony petal who was promptly eaten by a whirligig mite. I 🧡 my whirligig mites.
#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #bugstodon #insects #thrips #Acari #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Anystidae #Thysanoptera
neville park