Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Insect identification request

kazaa81 - 8-5-2006 at 06:01

Hello all,

today I've seen some strange small insects never seen before.
Being a foreign, I asked some people about this and they replied me that they call them just "red spiders" or somewhat like this and that they are common to come out in summer.
They're long somewhat like 2-3mm.
I shoot a photo. Tell me what insect is and if it's poisonous/dangerous or not. Thanks



[Edited on 8-5-2006 by kazaa81]

mantis - 8-5-2006 at 06:27

That is no inmsect, because it has 8 legs and not six (hexapoda).
The exact species I can not say you, but it is a mite.

Darkblade48 - 8-5-2006 at 12:00

I often find these in my backyard as well, and sometimes even in the house. I know my mother has trouble with these little buggers because they like spinning webs in her roses.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Spider_mite

That's what I found off Wikipedia.

JohnWW - 8-5-2006 at 13:56

That is a spider. If you are in Australia, it could be the highly poisonous redback spider, which has also gotten into New Zealand, and is a relative of the black widow spider.

neutrino - 8-5-2006 at 14:13

According to the Wikipedia, adult red spider mites are 0.5 mm long. That's a good deal shorter than kazaa's "spiders".

kazaa81 - 8-5-2006 at 14:28

No, I seriously think they aren't the same insects of wikipedia...first of all they are red, not white or green, then, I never seen them on grass, and so the people I asked...also, I know what "afidis" are. Yes, they are about 2mm from the two extremities.
Oh, and I think the two long "legs", are antennas, not legs.
I've seen them only on balconies or in the top of houses, going around on terracotta or other masonry materials.
Some of these seem to don't have, or have shorter antennas on the top (maybe different sex?).
However, I am still unsure about danger. Oh, forgot to say I'm in Italy now.

Thanks for help

[Edited on 8-5-2006 by kazaa81]

Geomancer - 8-5-2006 at 16:24

It sure looks like a mite. I don't know the exact features used to distinguish spiders and mites, but it's a rather natural distinction. Check out the pictures at http://bugguide.net/node/view/2419/bgimage, for example. It is certainly not a Latrodectus, though.

In general, if a mite is large enough to see easily, and not a tick, then it is probably harmless (don't make a meal of them, though). Some microscopic mites are human parasites (eg scabies) and many others are normal commensals (sp?) with people.

[OT] "Chiggers", the immature forms of certain mite species, are a major annoyance in my part of the world (Eastern US). They are almost microscopic scarlet critters naturally parisitic on birds or reptiles. They are well adapted to this, and cause their hosts little apparent discomfort. Unfortunately, they aren't too bright and often bite people, whereupon their chemical camoflage is counterproductive and they are zealously attacked and killed by the human immune system. Quite zealously, in that the responding T-cells not only destroy the invading mouthparts, but all the tissue in about a 1 mm radius, causing memorable discomfort. Interestingly, I've gotten a similar reaction to tick bites, but never insect bites.

Pommie - 12-5-2006 at 07:03

Quote:
Originally posted by JohnWW
That is a spider. If you are in Australia, it could be the highly poisonous redback spider, which has also gotten into New Zealand, and is a relative of the black widow spider.


It's not a redback.
This is a redback,


Mike.

Mechaton - 12-5-2006 at 08:13

I have red mites like that in my lab in Iowa, but they're smaller than 2-3mm.

kazaa81 - 13-5-2006 at 08:09

Here are two other photos I shot and forgot to post:



About the size variation...I was able to see some of these "mites" walking around with others, that are smaller than 1mm...I think that these one are just an earlier soon of these ones I take photographs.
I'm still worried about their dangerousness, since some mites bring scabia etc.
Tell me if I must wash where they are with 90% H2SO4 or not.

Thanks for help

[Edited on 13-5-2006 by kazaa81]

JohnWW - 14-5-2006 at 17:16

Quote:
Originally posted by Pommie
Quote:
Originally posted by JohnWW
That is a spider. If you are in Australia, it could be the highly poisonous redback spider, which has also gotten into New Zealand, and is a relative of the black widow spider.

It's not a redback.
This is a redback,

Mike.

Thanks for letting us know the difference, Pommie. I will know if ever I encounter one. BTW 20-odd years ago there was a pop song in Australia which went "There was a redback on the toilet seat when I was there last night".

froot - 15-5-2006 at 05:00

Found this here:
Quote:

Why is it that little things cause most problems? But, with 20,000 species of mite roaming the world, perhaps that is not too surprising.

It is definitely a trombidiform mite and I'm reasonably sure that it is Trombidium holocericeum, the one that is commonly found in gardens during Springtime.

It is readily found in loose soil and this accounts for it being known as the 'Red earth mite', It is predatory in its larval stage and vegetarian thereafter - but, the larva can predate on humans and animals! The larva, shaped like a long thin cone ('long' being a comparative term with an overall length of about 0.5mm), can puncture the skin and release an anticoagulent fluid which allows it to ingest the blood flowing from a tiny wound. These 'bites' can itch intensely and are commonly known as 'heat-spots' or 'heat-lumps'. No, I didn't know that either!