#anystidae — Public Fediverse posts

Still the depths of winter here. I have been having dreams about bugs. I recently had a dream about finding plump whirligig mites everywhere: some their usual orange-red, others greenish because they had just eaten something green…I miss the mites.

Here are some whirligig mites I found a couple of years ago on a rock down by the lake, fighting over a dead midge. #iNaturalist observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/225382565 :inaturalist:

#MiteMonday #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acariformes #Anystidae

It's another #Arachtober #MiteMonday! Here's a whirligig mite (family Anystidae) cleaning its feet. Warning: handheld video! I was able to stabilize it a bit but the camera still moves around.

#ArthroBeauty #DailyMiteVid #Mitestodon #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Anystidae

#Arachtober 2: anystid renaissance! Commonly called whirligig mites for their constant frantic and erratic running, these large (~1 mm*) predatory mites in the family Anystidae have a population boom in early to mid-June and seem to increase in numbers again in autumn, at least around here. They eat aphids, small midges, each other, etc. This one seems to be eating some kind of barklouse (Psocodea)?

* Given that many mites are microscopic, any mite one can clearly see with the naked eye counts as "large".

#ArthroBeauty #LichenSubscribe #arachnids #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Anystidae

Happy post-postscript: today I learned by very carefully pulling the floret petals apart, I could easily free most mites.

Pic 1: whirligig mites stuck on milkweed, circled in magenta.

Pic 2: a rescued whirligig mite drinking on a tissue I put a bit of water on.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Anystidae #milkweed

So far there is only one coneflower blooming in the garden. It has attracted hordes of 1) carpet beetles (which feed on pollen as adults); 2) thrips; and 3) minute pirate bugs and 4) whirligig mites, which both eat the thrips.

#bugstodon #insects #beetles #thrips #bugs #arachnids #mites #Coleoptera #Dermestidae #Thysanoptera #Heteroptera #Anthocoridae #Acari #Acariformes #Anystidae

OK, sequel to my post almost exactly 1 year ago about milkweed pollinia…I discovered something amazing!

I was looking at some milkweed plants that had just started flowering and noticed a honeybee trying to get its leg unstuck from a flower. Because it's Peak Anystid, there were also many whirligig mites running around on the flowering umbels. These mites almost never stay still, yet one *was*. Could it also be stuck? YES! It was struggling to get out.

I looked carefully at more of the flowers and found a dead whirligig mite, also with its leg stuck in a flower.

I wonder how many other arthropods accidentally fall prey to the flowers?!

#bugstodon #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Anystidae #milkweed

Whirligig mite tug-of-war commenced. (2/2)

#DailyMiteVid #Mitestodon #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Anystidae

Another vignette from Peak Anystid: any mite with a desirable morsel risks moochers trying to steal it for themselves. These two pictures were taken about 5 minutes apart—note how the first mite turns greenish from eating the bug. (1/2)

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Anystidae

#DailyMiteVid: whirligig mites (family Anystidae) are happy to eat each other, as you can see from this clip filmed today. I noticed that the mite being eaten seemed to still be alive and moving its limbs; it was only on re-watching the video that I realized it seemed to be cleaning one of its legs!

CW: slightly shaky video moving in & out of focus; mite being altogether too chill about being devoured alive by its fellow

#Mitestodon #MiteBehaviour #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Anystidae

In other news, we have reached Peak Anystid, that short but precious time when it seems like every leaf has a plump little whirligig mite running around on it. They are avid predators and eating is practically the only time they stay still. Here are several from the garden.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Anystidae

Happy #ThripsThursday! To everyone except this thrips on a fallen peony petal who was promptly eaten by a whirligig mite. I 🧡 my whirligig mites.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #bugstodon #insects #thrips #Acari #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Anystidae #Thysanoptera

For #MiteMonday: mites eating things.

1. Long-legged velvet mites (family Erythraeidae, probably _Balaustium_) eating a midge
2. A whirligig mite (family Anystidae) eating a globular springtail
3. A snout mite (family Bdellidae) eating a barklouse

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Erythraeidae #Anystidae #Bdellidae

Belated #MiteMonday: it's the time of year I start carrying a little water dropper bottle for the whirligig mites. I've found it's a reliable way to get them to stay still for photos. 💧

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Anystidae

Little red mites of spring!

- A larval sidewalk mite (_Balaustium_) eating pollen
- A young whirligig mite (family Anystidae) eating clover mite eggs (the little reddish balls)
- Sumo mites (_Allothrombium_) wrestling
- and lastly, a clover mite (_Bryobia_), which isn't really that red when full grown but which all of the other mites are frequently misidentified as. They won't be out much longer, they go dormant in the hot months.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Erythraeidae #Anystidae #Trombidiidae #Tetranychidae #Bryobiinae

#Arachtober 28: the last #MiteMonday of Arachtober! On a rock teeming with clover mites I found several of their frequent predators, whirligig mites (family Anystidae). This one was busy cleaning its feet.

#DailyMiteVid #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites • #Acari #Acariformes #Anystidae

#Arachtober 6: Here's an anystid. They seem to experience a burst of population growth in the fall, not nearly as much as Peak Anystid around June but still noticeable.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites • #Acari #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Anystidae

Peak Anystid is over in my building's garden, but down by the lake yesterday I found plenty of them on burdock plants infested with aphids, which they prey on. Fast and nimble, they were able to steer clear of the feisty _Myrmica rubra_ farming the aphids.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Anystidae

#MiteMonday: quartet of whirligig mites eating midges on milkweed down by the lake. Tiny midges proliferate there, and the mites take full advantage. (Yes, I'm getting the most out of Peak Anystid while it lasts!)

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Anystidae #macro

Going out in the middle of the day yesterday was a mistake but I did get to see three whirligig mites fighting over a midge. Real _The Good, the Bad and the Ugly_ moment.

#Mitestodon #DailyMitePic #arachnids #mites #MiteBehaviour #Acari #Anystidae

#MiteMonday: an oddly colourless whirligig mite (family Anystidae) feeds on a red _Uroleucon_ aphid. Hmmm… :thonking:

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Anystidae #aphids #Aphididae

While watching whirligig mites (family Anystidae) in the garden I actually witnessed two anystids catching prey, something I'd never seen before!

The first one has caught a little yellow globular springtail (family Bourletiellidae). It consumed it in a few seconds and then raced off again. The second one caught some kind of tiny midge, I think. It retreated with its prize to the summit of a drop of water, mindful of the several other anystids on the same leaf, and fed on it for some time.

I feel so honoured to have seen it!

#bugstodon #DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Anystidae

This morning I found a whirligig mite (family Anystidae) feeding on an aphid. Then a second, slightly smaller mite came by and also started trying to feed on it, and a tug-of-war ensued. And then I tapped the "switch camera" button instead of the "take photo" button because they're way too close to each other.

#bugstodon #DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Anystidae #selfie

We're approaching Peak Anystid, with multiple plump, predatory little whirligig mites (family Anystidae) running frantically and erratically over every leaf. Here's just a few from one of the building's tiny little milkweed patches.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Anystidae #MiteBehaviour

#BREAKING: the first anystid larvae have been spotted swarming over the chain-link fence along Beaty Boulevard!

I have been checking the spruce tree by the Jameson bridge for what I saw before, anystid larvae raiding clover mite rookeries for eggs; no luck yet, but perhaps soon.

Erythraeid larvae have also been out for a while, and today I saw a few clumps of what are probably _Balaustium_ feeding on tree pollen.

Being arachnids, mites have eight legs as adults, but larvae have six.

#MiteMonday #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Anystidae #Erythraeidae

#Arachtober 30: one last Arachtober anystid. Warning: kind of shaky/jerky video, so be careful watching if you (like me) sometimes get vertigo from this kind of thing.

Technical note: this video was originally 1080×1080 px and 56 MB. Resized it to 500×500 with ezgif (https://ezgif.com/resize-video) and it's under 5 MB!

#DailyMiteVid #Mitestodon #MiteMonday #arachnids #mites #Acari #Anystidae

#Arachtober 27: The trunk of a regal yellow tree (linden or something similar?) was busy with mites. I found a tiny cobweb spider feeding on a whirligig mite, and a red velvet mite feeding on prey in another cobweb spider's web!

#DailySpiderPic #DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #MiteBehaviour #arachnids #spiders #mites #Acari #Anystidae #Trombidiidae #Araneae #Theridiidae

#Arachtober 23 × #MiteMonday: whirligig mites (family Anystidae) are such voracious predators, they are happy to eat their own kind!

#Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Anystidae #macro

#Arachtober 17: it's been a nerve-wracking day for me, here's a whirligig mite cleaning its leg. I posted a video a while back, but also got some still photos.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Anystidae #macro

#Arachtober 13 (it's still the 13th somewhere!): a fast-moving, red running crab spider (family Philodromidae) eating an equally fast-moving, red whirligig mite (family Anystidae)! From back in July, seen on the Park Dr Reservation Trail, southwest of the Evergreen Brick Works.

Possibly _Philodromus rufus_? I've only identified a _Philodromus_ to species like, once.

#DailySpiderPic #DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #spiders #mites #Araneae #Philodromidae #Acari #Anystidae

#Arachtober 11: #Mosstodon × #Mitestodon. Didn't expect to find much on the City Hall green roof, but got a surprise when I turned over a loose clump of moss!

#DailyMitePic #arachnids #mites #Acari #Anystidae #macro

back on my bullshit (filming whirligig mites)

this one briefly stopped to groom its leg before zooming off. they always act like staying in one spot for 5 seconds is an impossible ordeal.

#DailyMiteVid #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Anystidae #MiteBehaviour

Let's check in on the local mites.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Anystidae #Trombidiidae #Tetranychidae #Bdellidae #macro

A whirligig mite (family Anystidae) eating another, much smaller anystid!

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #MiteBehaviour #arachnids #mites #Acari #Anystidae #macro

On the Beltline Trail the other day, my sister and I spotted this delightfully and unusually pink running crab spider (family Philodromidae). A closer look showed it was feeding on a bright red whirligig mite (family Anystidae)—perhaps how it got that colour??

#ArthroBeauty #DailySpiderPic #SpiderSunday #spiders #DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #mites #Araneae #Philodromidae #Acari #Anystidae

#MiteMonday: It's crowded in the garden during Peak Anystid! Yesterday I saw a whirligig mite (family Anystidae) eating a small plant bug (family Miridae) when a second mite came along and had a bite. The first mite stopped feeding, but did keep one foot on the bug, as if to call dibs. It wasn't long before a third mite happened upon the kill and also helped itself to the bug.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #MiteBehaviour #arachnids #mites #Acari #Anystidae #bugs #insects #Miridae

For this #MiteMonday: while watching the vast clover mite rookeries, I saw tiny juvenile whirligig mites racing around, feeding on the eggs right under the clover mites' noses!

#MiteBehaviour, especially between different taxa, is endlessly fascinating to me (as you may have guessed.)

https://youtu.be/AOWPA-WkONg

#DailyMiteVid #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Anystidae #Tetranychidae #Bryobiinae #macro

went out for a walk even though it was cold and at the last tree just before i was about to go home i think i sAW ANYSTIDS EATING CLOVER MITE EGGS??!? will upload video but in meanwhile here's a picture

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Anystidae #Tetranychidae #Bryobiinae

Yesterday I found tiny juvenile erythraeids (long-legged velvet mites) on the rocks at High Park and today I found a couple of equally tiny juvenile anystids (whirligig mites) in my building's garden! IT BEGINS

You can tell they're not fully grown yet because they only have six legs—they will have eight legs as adults, like all arachnids.

#Mitestodon #mites #arachnids #Acari #Erythraeidae #Anystidae #Springwatch #macro