| Trombicula autumnalis | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Subclass: | Acari |
| Order: | Trombidiformes |
| Family: | Trombiculidae |
| Genus: | Trombicula |
| Subgenus: | Neotrombicula |
| Species: | T. autumnalis |
| Binomial name | |
| Trombicula autumnalis (Shaw, 1790) |
|
The harvest mite, Trombicula autumnalis, is a species of mite of the family Trombiculidae. Their larvae live parasitically; they infect all domestic mammals, humans, and some ground-nesting birds.[1]
The larvae are normally orange or red in color with only six legs, but develop eight legs by nymph stage. The larvae are only up to 0.2 millimetres (0.008 in) in size.[1] The adult mites are about 1 mm (0.04 in) long.[1]
The eggs are laid in damp soil. After hatching, the larvae climbs blades of grass and wait for a potential host.[1]
With their "blade-like chelicerae",[1] they attach themselves to the host and feed on its tissues. After sucking, which lasts several days,[1] they fall off and develop over three stages of nymph to adult mites.