Chiggers
Guides
Neotrombidiidae
velvet mites, chiggers
Neotrombidiidae is a family of mites in the order Trombidiformes, encompassing velvet mites and chiggers. The family contains at least four recognized genera: Anomalothrombium, Discotrombium, Monunguis, and Neotrombidium. Members of this family are part of the diverse assemblage of parasitengone mites, a group characterized by complex life cycles involving parasitic larval stages and predatory post-larval stages.
Neotrombidium
Neotrombidium is a genus of velvet mites and chiggers in the family Neotrombidiidae, established by Leonardi in 1901. The genus contains at least three described species: N. beeri, N. helladicum, and N. samsinaki. Like other members of the infraorder Parasitengona, these mites exhibit complex life histories with parasitic larval stages and predatory adults. N. beeri larvae have been documented as subelytral parasites of false mealworm beetles in Arkansas.
Trombiculidae
chiggers, harvest mites, berry bugs, red bugs, scrub-itch mites, aoutas
Trombiculidae is a family of mites commonly known as chiggers (North America) or harvest mites (Britain). The family includes species whose larvae are parasitic on vertebrates, including humans, causing skin irritation through a unique feeding mechanism. Only the larval stage is parasitic; nymphs and adults are free-living predators. Several species serve as vectors for scrub typhus in East Asia and the South Pacific. The family was formally established by Henry Ellsworth Ewing in 1944, though references to chiggers date back to sixth-century China.
Trombidioidea
velvet mites
Trombidioidea is a superfamily of mites in the order Trombidiformes, commonly known as velvet mites. It comprises approximately 8 families and at least 430 described species, including the familiar true velvet mites (Trombidiidae) and chiggers (Trombiculidae). Members exhibit complex life cycles with dramatic morphological and ecological shifts between instars. The superfamily is characterized by large, often brightly colored adults and minute, parasitic larvae.