Trombicula

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Trombicula
Harvest-mite-North America.jpg
Larval harvest mite from North America
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Trombidiformes
Family: Trombiculidae
Tribe: Trombiculini
Genus: Trombicula
Berlese, 1905
Type species
Trombicula minor [1]
Berlese, 1905

Trombicula, known as chiggers, red bugs, scrub-itch mites, or berry bugs, are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods) in the Trombiculidae family. In their larval stage, they attach to various animals, including humans, and feed on skin, often causing itching and trombiculosis. These relatives of ticks are nearly microscopic, measuring 0.4 mm (0.01 in) and have a chrome-orange hue. A common species of harvest mite in North America is Trombicula alfreddugesi .

Contents

The larval mites feed on the skin cells, but not blood, of animals. The six-legged parasitic larva feeds on a large variety of creatures, including humans, rabbits, wallabies, [2] toads, box turtles, quail, and even some insects. After crawling onto their hosts, they inject digestive enzymes into the skin that break down skin cells. They do not actually "bite", but instead form a hole in the skin called a stylostome, and chew up tiny parts of the inner skin, thus causing severe irritation and swelling. The severe itching is accompanied by red pimple-like bumps (papules) or hives and skin rash or lesions on a sun-exposed area. For humans, itching usually occurs after the larvae detach from the skin.[ citation needed ]

After feeding on their hosts, the larvae drop to the ground and become nymphs, then mature into adults, which have eight legs and are harmless to humans. In the postlarval stage, they are not parasitic and feed on plant materials. The females lay three to eight eggs in a clutch, usually on a leaf or under the roots of a plant, and die by autumn.[ citation needed ]

Distribution

Species in the genus Trombicula are found throughout the world. In Europe and North America, they tend to dwell in hot and humid climates. In more temperate regions, they are found only in summer. (In France, for example, they are called aoûtat, after août, August; vendangeon, after vendange, harvest; or rouget, after rouge, red.) In the United States, they are found mostly in the southeast, the south, and the Midwest. They are rarely found in far northern areas, high mountains or deserts. They live in low, damp areas within forests and grasslands, as well as in drier environments where vegetation is low-growing but profuse, such as lawns, golf courses and parks. They are most numerous in early summer when grass, weeds and other vegetation are most prevalent. Harvest mites can also find their way into homes via human hosts who have passed through such areas[ citation needed ].

Taxonomy

Species include: [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Mites are small arachnids. Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari. However, most recent genetic analyses do not recover the two as each other's closest relative within Arachnida, rendering the group non-monophyletic. Most mites are tiny, less than 1 mm (0.04 in) in length, and have a simple, unsegmented body plan. The small size of most species makes them easily overlooked; some species live in water, many live in soil as decomposers, others live on plants, sometimes creating galls, while others are predators or parasites. This last type includes the commercially destructive Varroa parasite of honey bees, as well as scabies mites of humans. Most species are harmless to humans, but a few are associated with allergies or may transmit diseases.

<i>Trombicula alfreddugesi</i> Species of mite

Trombicula alfreddugesi, also called Eutrombicula alfreddugesi, is a species in the genus Trombicula.

Hypoaspis is a genus of mites in the family Laelapidae.

Eutrombicula is a genus of mites in the family Trombiculidae. The species of this genus are found throughout North America, and Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prostigmata</span> Suborder of mites

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trombidiidae</span> Family of mites

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Leptotrombidium is a genus of mites in the family Trombiculidae, that are able to infect humans with scrub typhus through their bite. The larval form feeds on rodents, but also occasionally humans and other large mammals. They are related to the harvest mites of the North America and Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trombiculidae</span> Family of trombidiform mites

Trombiculidae, commonly referred to in North America as chiggers and in Britain as harvest mites, but also known as berry bugs, bush-mites, red bugs or scrub-itch mites, are a family of mites. Chiggers are often confused with jiggers – a type of flea. Several species of Trombiculidae in their larva stage bite their animal host and by embedding their mouthparts into the skin cause "intense irritation", or "a wheal, usually with severe itching and dermatitis". Humans, being animals, are possible hosts.

<i>Neotrombicula</i> Genus of mites

Neotrombicula is a genus of mites in the family Trombiculidae. Species of this genus are found throughout Europe and North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gamasoidosis</span> Dermatitis caused by avian mites

Gamasoidosis, also known as dermanyssosis, is a frequently unrecognized form of dermatitis, following human infestation with avian mites of the genera Dermanyssus or Ornithonyssus. It is characterized by pruritic erythematous papules, macules and urticaria, with itching and irritation resulting from the saliva the mites secrete while feeding. These bites are commonly found around the neck and areas covered by clothing, but can be found elsewhere on the body. The avian mite Dermanyssus gallinae can also infest various body parts, including the ear canal and scalp.

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Mites that infest and parasitize domestic animals cause disease and loss of production. Mites are small invertebrates, most of which are free living but some are parasitic. Mites are similar to ticks and both comprise the order Acari in the phylum Arthropoda. Mites are highly varied and their classification is complex; a simple grouping is used in this introductory article. Vernacular terms to describe diseases caused by mites include scab, mange, and scabies. Mites and ticks have substantially different biology from, and are classed separately from, insects. Mites of domestic animals cause important types of skin disease, and some mites infest other organs. Diagnosis of mite infestations can be difficult because of the small size of most mites, but understanding how mites are adapted to feed within the structure of the skin is useful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mites of livestock</span> Small crawling animals related to ticks and spiders

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Eutrombicula samboni is a species of mite in the family Trombiculidae, found in South Australia.

Guntheria is a genus of mites in the family Trombiculidae. The species of this genus are found in Australia and the islands to its north.

Guntheria coorongensis is a species of mite in the family Trombiculidae, found from the tip of Cape York in Queensland to South Australia.

Trombiculini is a tribe of chiggers belonging to the family Trombiculidae.

Neotrombicula fujigmo is a species of harvest mite. It is an ectoparasite of shrews and rats. N. fujigmo is found in the Indomalayan realm and has been recorded in Myanmar and India. Cornelius Becker Philip and H. S. Fuller described the species in 1950, initially placing it in the genus Trombicula. The specific epithet comes from the military slang FUJIGMO.

References

  1. ↑ Audy, J. R.; Nadchatram, M.; Loomis, R. B.; Traub, R. (1965). "Trombicula minor Berlese (Acarina, Trombiculidae): Designation of neotype with larval and post-larval stages from Malayan bats, and new name, Myotrombicula dilaratni, for T. minor, Cooreman, 1960 nec Berlese, 1905". Acarologia. 7 (Suppl): 1–33.
  2. ↑ Old JM, Lowry J, Young LJ (2009). Scrub-itch mite (Eutrombicula hirsti) infection in the endangered bridled nailtail wallaby (Onychogalea fraenata). Australian Veterinary Journal. 87(8), 338-341. DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-0813.2009.00462.x
  3. ↑ IRMNG (2018). Trombicula Berlese, 1905. Accessed at: http://www.irmng.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1102956 on 2019-01-16

Further reading

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