Prostigmata (plant parasitic and storage mites)

Arachnida (plant/storage pests) • other pests • pests-diseases-weeds

Raoiella indica (click on image to enlarge it)
Author(s): Eric Erbe - digital colorization by Chris Pooley
Source: Wikimedia Commons

Prostigmata (plant parasitic and storage mites)

This is a large group of mites with about 20,000 species, found in many different habitats. The group includes various plant pests. The members have a number of common morphological characters like a pair of stigmata (spiracles) above the chelicerae, large pedipalps (with 3-5 segments) or the structure of the chelicerae which are rarely scissor-like.

For veterinary and medical parasites in this group see Prostigmata (parasitic mites).

The following families are currently included under Prostigmata (plant parasitic and storage mites):

• Eriophyidae (gall mites) (27 species)
• Erythraeidae (1 species)
• Penthaleidae (earth mites) (2 species)
• Rhyncaphytoptidae (0 species)

• Tarsonemidae (white mites) (7 species)
• Tenuipalpidae (flat mites) (7 species)
• Tetranychidae (spider mites) (44 species)