Trombidiidae
Encyclopedia
Velvet mites are arachnid
s found in soil litter known for their bright red colours but are often mistaken for spiders. They are active predators as grown adults but early instar
s are often parasites on insects.
The pattern of stages is shared with that of other members of the Prostigmata: egg, pre-larva, larva, protonymph, deutonymph, tritonymph and adult (male or female). They usually have only one breeding cycle per year.
One well known species from the Palearctic
is Trombidium holosericeum
.
The systematics of this group has been in flux and many former subfamilies of this are now raised to families within the Trombidioidea.
. Alternate names for it include Bir Bahuti, Birbaboti, Scarlet Fly, Lady Fly, Velvet Buchi (Telugu term commonly used in Hyderabad, India), 'Aarudra Purugu' (another Telugu word from around Hyderabad, India because one sees them only in the season 'Aarudra'), 'Sadhaba Bohu'('ସାଧବ ବୋହୁ', Oriya term meaning 'Bride of the Seafarer' owing to the red velvet coat and beautiful looks) and Rani Keeda (Hindi
/Urdu
: Queen Mite). The mites are visible in large numbers early in the Monsoon
season and so are also called rain mites in the subcontinent. In Gujarat, the term for velvet mite is "Gokal Gaay" or "Mama Ni Gaay". Bir Bahuti is used as an ingredient in traditional Indian medicine.
The oil from red velvet mite "Trombidium grandissimum" is useful for paralysis. Also, due to its alleged ability to increase sexual desire, Trombidium is named as ‘Indian Viagra’ (Oudhia 1999b)]http://www.icrisat.org/what-we-do/publications/digital-publications/icrisat-publications-2001/icrisat-ebook-2001-icpn.pdf
It folds its legs when it comes in contact with a predator. The act is to protect the legs but also to place them in front of main internal organs. It can be clearly observed when picked up. It will unfold its legs and start moving once it feels that it's out of danger; and can be observed walking again after some minutes if left untouched.
Red Velvet Mite Picture and Video
Arachnid
Arachnids are a class of joint-legged invertebrate animals in the subphylum Chelicerata. All arachnids have eight legs, although in some species the front pair may convert to a sensory function. The term is derived from the Greek words , meaning "spider".Almost all extant arachnids are terrestrial...
s found in soil litter known for their bright red colours but are often mistaken for spiders. They are active predators as grown adults but early instar
Instar
An instar is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each molt , until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow or assume a new form. Differences between instars can often be seen in altered body proportions, colors, patterns, or...
s are often parasites on insects.
The pattern of stages is shared with that of other members of the Prostigmata: egg, pre-larva, larva, protonymph, deutonymph, tritonymph and adult (male or female). They usually have only one breeding cycle per year.
One well known species from the Palearctic
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is one of the eight ecozones dividing the Earth's surface.Physically, the Palearctic is the largest ecozone...
is Trombidium holosericeum
Trombidium holosericeum
Trombidium holosericeum is a species of mite in the genus Trombidium, commonly called the velvet mite.-Description:This species is one of the largest mites in northern temperate zones, with a body length of about 4 mm. The soft, brightly red body is covered with fine hairs, giving it a velvety...
.
The systematics of this group has been in flux and many former subfamilies of this are now raised to families within the Trombidioidea.
Trombidium grandissimum
The species Trombidium grandissimum is endemic to the northern parts of the Indian subcontinentIndian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
. Alternate names for it include Bir Bahuti, Birbaboti, Scarlet Fly, Lady Fly, Velvet Buchi (Telugu term commonly used in Hyderabad, India), 'Aarudra Purugu' (another Telugu word from around Hyderabad, India because one sees them only in the season 'Aarudra'), 'Sadhaba Bohu'('ସାଧବ ବୋହୁ', Oriya term meaning 'Bride of the Seafarer' owing to the red velvet coat and beautiful looks) and Rani Keeda (Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
/Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
: Queen Mite). The mites are visible in large numbers early in the Monsoon
Monsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
season and so are also called rain mites in the subcontinent. In Gujarat, the term for velvet mite is "Gokal Gaay" or "Mama Ni Gaay". Bir Bahuti is used as an ingredient in traditional Indian medicine.
The oil from red velvet mite "Trombidium grandissimum" is useful for paralysis. Also, due to its alleged ability to increase sexual desire, Trombidium is named as ‘Indian Viagra’ (Oudhia 1999b)]http://www.icrisat.org/what-we-do/publications/digital-publications/icrisat-publications-2001/icrisat-ebook-2001-icpn.pdf
It folds its legs when it comes in contact with a predator. The act is to protect the legs but also to place them in front of main internal organs. It can be clearly observed when picked up. It will unfold its legs and start moving once it feels that it's out of danger; and can be observed walking again after some minutes if left untouched.
External links
- Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cU3Hhsidbo
- http://bugguide.net/node/view/2419/tree
- http://tolweb.org/Parasitengona/2581
- http://www.icrisat.org/what-we-do/publications/digital-publications/icrisat-publications-2001/icrisat-ebook-2001-icpn.pdf
Red Velvet Mite Picture and Video