#arachnids — Public Fediverse posts

Im Spätsommer und Frühherbst sind die Gartenkreuzspinnen besonders aktiv und bauen ihre auffälligen Radnetze in Gärten, Parks und an Waldrändern. ❤️

#Photomonday #Fotomontag

#DietmarSchneider #Fotogalerie #Foto #Photography #Fotografie #Photo #Animals #Spinnentiere #Arachnids #Gliederfüßer #Arthropod #Kreuzspinne #Gartenkreuzspinne #GardenSpider #Spider #Wildlife #Berlin #Schlossparkgezwitscher #Naturephotography #Naturfotografie #Digitour

Im Spätsommer und Frühherbst sind die Gartenkreuzspinnen besonders aktiv und bauen ihre auffälligen Radnetze in Gärten, Parks und an Waldrändern. ❤️

#Photomonday #Fotomontag

#DietmarSchneider #Fotogalerie #Foto #Photography #Fotografie #Photo #Animals #Spinnentiere #Arachnids #Gliederfüßer #Arthropod #Kreuzspinne #Gartenkreuzspinne #GardenSpider #Spider #Wildlife #Berlin #Schlossparkgezwitscher #Naturephotography #Naturfotografie #Digitour

Im Spätsommer und Frühherbst sind die Gartenkreuzspinnen besonders aktiv und bauen ihre auffälligen Radnetze in Gärten, Parks und an Waldrändern. ❤️

#Photomonday #Fotomontag

#DietmarSchneider #Fotogalerie #Foto #Photography #Fotografie #Photo #Animals #Spinnentiere #Arachnids #Gliederfüßer #Arthropod #Kreuzspinne #Gartenkreuzspinne #GardenSpider #Spider #Wildlife #Berlin #Schlossparkgezwitscher #Naturephotography #Naturfotografie #Digitour

Im Spätsommer und Frühherbst sind die Gartenkreuzspinnen besonders aktiv und bauen ihre auffälligen Radnetze in Gärten, Parks und an Waldrändern. ❤️

#Photomonday #Fotomontag

#DietmarSchneider #Fotogalerie #Foto #Photography #Fotografie #Photo #Animals #Spinnentiere #Arachnids #Gliederfüßer #Arthropod #Kreuzspinne #Gartenkreuzspinne #GardenSpider #Spider #Wildlife #Berlin #Schlossparkgezwitscher #Naturephotography #Naturfotografie #Digitour

Im Spätsommer und Frühherbst sind die Gartenkreuzspinnen besonders aktiv und bauen ihre auffälligen Radnetze in Gärten, Parks und an Waldrändern. ❤️

#Photomonday #Fotomontag

#DietmarSchneider #Fotogalerie #Foto #Photography #Fotografie #Photo #Animals #Spinnentiere #Arachnids #Gliederfüßer #Arthropod #Kreuzspinne #Gartenkreuzspinne #GardenSpider #Spider #Wildlife #Berlin #Schlossparkgezwitscher #Naturephotography #Naturfotografie #Digitour

Cellar spider, a week ago, and tonight. Look what she's done! New blog post: https://wanderinweeta.blogspot.com/2026/08/happy-event.html #VancouverIsland #Spiders #Arachnids #Invertebrates #InverteFest #NaturePhotography

#Arachtober 28: clover mite (_Bryobia_) in a bright patch of lichen.

#ArthroBeauty #LichenSubscribe #DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #CloverMites #arachnids #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Tetranychidae #Bryobiinae

#Arachtober 25: now for something entirely different, a penthaleid mite (https://bugguide.net/node/view/263374) feeding on a dandelion leaf. Species like the common _P. major_ (which this probably is) have a #DorsalAnus and excrete these globules as they feed, often hanging upside down on the undersides of leaves or vertically on blades of grass.

(If you think a dorsal anus is wild, certain astig females have secondary dorsal genital openings for copulation.)

#ArthroBeauty #DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Penthaleidae

#Arachtober 23: witnessed some interesting behaviour between two long-legged velvet mites (family Erythraeidae, likely genus _Balaustium_) on a tree trunk. They were circling each other and drumming their legs, similar to what I've seen courting _Allothrombium_ red velvet mites doing. I am going to email a mite expert and see what they think!

Unfortunately somewhat shaky video here: https://youtu.be/eGYU6fMfm_Q

#ArthroBeauty #DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Parasitengona #Erythraeidae

#Arachtober 4: March mating mesostig madness!

These are an ubiquitous sort of soil-dwelling predatory mites, likely in the family Parasitidae (ironically, primarily predators) in the order Mesostigmata in the superorder Parasitiformes. They are only very distantly related to the whirligig mite I posted the other day, which is in superorder Acariformes. While the two superorders are traditionally grouped together under Acari, it is likely they don't share a common ancestor and should be treated separately. So I'm counting them as a different group!

#iNaturalist observation: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/275521159 :inaturalist:

Some pro-level photos and info about mesostigs: https://www.chaosofdelight.org/all-about-mites-mesostigmata

#ArthroBeauty #arachnids #mites #MiteSex #taxonomy #Acari #Parasitiformes #Mesostigmata #Parasitidae

Anyway, #InternationalRockFlippingDay finds: a vine weevil (*Otiorhynchus* of some kind), and a bryobiine spider mite, see e.g. *Petrobia*.

#bugstodon #DailyMitePic #arachnids #mites #SpiderMites #insects #beetles #weevils #Coleoptera #Curculionidae #Entiminae #Acari #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Tetranychidae #Bryobiinae

This gall is new to me so I hope I have identified it correctly. I think its a tupelo leaf edge gall (Aceria dina). If you squint you can see a mite walking on the upper right side of the upper fold, although I'm not sure if it is the eriophyid mite that makes the gall. 4/5 #GallWeek2025 #gall #galls #inaturalist #mites #arachnids #tupelo

gotta stay on brand

here's a sidewalk mite (_Balaustium_) feeding on some predatory mite, Rhagidiidae or Cunaxidae or thereabouts; and an _Admestina_ jumping spider I found near pine trees in a nearby park. I find such interesting arthropods around pines that I don't see anywhere else.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #DailySpiderPic #arachnids #mites #spiders #JumpingSpiders #Acari #Acariformes #Erythraeidae #Araneae #Salticidae

Down by the lake I noticed a mite that seemed small for a trombidiid and large for an erythraeid…only on looking more closely did I notice that its dark red body had a gorgeous iridescent blue-green sheen! I think this may be a _Balaustium_ species, but not one of the ones I usually see. I've only seen this kind once before!

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #ArthroBeauty #Acari #Acariformes #Erythraeidae

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

Bonus #MiteMonday: a _Balaustium_ sidewalk mite feeding on pollen from a horse-chestnut flower (which I put down to attract them and get photos).

These mites can be found in great numbers this time of year, very visible on surfaces like concrete and bricks, hence the name. As well as pollen and sap I've seen them feeding on dead bugs. Some are purely raspberry-red, others have this longer white coat or just white patches, others have a gorgeous blue-green iridescent sheen.

The pair of red protuberances are not eyes but special structures called urnulae, which secrete various useful substances like a defensive chemical/alarm pheromone, and a "waterproofing" compound that prevents their cuticle from drying out (useful as they spend a lot of time running around in the sun).

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acariformes #Erythraeidae

It's still #MiteMonday somewhere…

Vignette from under a log. A snout mite (family Bdellidae) feeds on the remains of a springtail, with a guest appearance from a beetle mite (order? suborder? Oribatida)*.

* Above superfamily or so, mite taxonomic ranks start getting contentious.

#DailyMiteVid #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acariformes #Bdellidae #Oribatida

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

#MiteMonday: this weekend I got out to my sumo mite (_Allothrombium_) tree to catch some wrestling bouts!

It is some kind of sexual competition thing: certain males seem to stake out a little patch and aggressively defend it against all comers. The females, I think, are the larger ones who take little notice of the fights and mostly wedge themselves into crevices in bark? Courtship rituals seem to involve leg-tapping and walking around each other in circles. I am wildly curious about what's actually going on.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #RedVelvetMites #SumoMites #Acari #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Trombidiidae

#MiteMonday: a red velvet mite (_Allothrombium_) sneakily snacks on midges from a spider's web. I also saw a red-winged blackbird eating a midge-filled spiderweb, too. At this time of year, the few spiders that overwintered catch so many midges that their webs almost collapse under the weight—more than they could possibly eat. I wonder how much midge biomass these spiders inadvertently make available to other animals!

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #RedVelvetMites #arachnids #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Trombidiidae

Did you know? Tiny penthaleid mites will sometimes wear water drops as hats. 🥰

(That's a total fuckin' lie, it's their excrement. Their anuses are located on their backs.)

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Penthaleidae #DorsalAnus

#MiteMonday: it's that time of year again! A sheet-web weaver's web in a willow tree crevice is carpeted with tiny _Bryobia_ clover mites.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acariformes #Prostigmata #Tetranychidae #Bryobiinae

I almost forgot it was #MiteMonday! From under one of my reliable dead logs just a few days ago, a mesostig with its prey, a tiny white springtail; a slug for scale; and a smaller, paler mesostig crossing paths with another springtail (which it did not try to eat).

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #springtails #Acari #Parasitiformes #Mesostigmata #Collembola #Poduromorpha

During this recent spate of warmish weather I've been checking my go-to sumo mite (_Allothrombium_) trees. It's still too early for a dense population, but there are definitely a few out and about!

Here's an earlier video I took of sumo mites wrestling: https://youtu.be/qZ0Ml6VXujg

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Trombidiidae

#MiteMonday: wintertime rock flipping turned up some penthaleids and those iridescent purple springtails, not quite sure what they are. They were about the same size (see third photo).

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Acariformes #Penthaleidae #springtails #Collembola

Gotta post something for the last #MiteMonday of the year. Here's some mesostigs (family Parasitidae or thereabouts?), predators of the undergrowth, making their way across alien landscapes of fungus and leaf litter on the underside of a dead log.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites • #Acari #Parasitiformes #Mesostigmata

#MiteMonday: checked out my favourite dead logs, got more pictures of mesostigs preying on springtails!!

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites • #Acari #Parasitiformes #Mesostigmata #Parasitidae???

#MiteMonday × #LichenSubscribe: we got some flurries today, but at a few degrees above zero the clover mites (_Bryobia_) are still out and about. Here's one climbing over a tiny crumb of lichen.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #CloverMites • #Acari #Acariformes #Tetranychidae #Bryobiinae

Thrilling moment today. I had flipped a log and was trying (with limited success) to get in-focus photos of this mesostigmatid mite when a tiny springtail ran directly into its path. To my surprise the mite seized it immediately and then, antenniform front legs aloft, hurried off looking for somewhere safe to consume its prize.

I knew, of course, that mesostigs like this were predatory; I'd just never witnessed the actual predating!

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites • #Acari #Parasitiformes #Mesostigmata

#MiteMonday: snout mite (family Bdellidae) and oribatid mite are friends

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Bdellidae #Oribatida

#Arachtober 19: this cute little oribatid (found on a rotting log) seemed to have ladybug-like spots. These widespread and abundant detritus- and fungus-eating soil dwellers are sometimes called "beetle mites" because of their hard carapaces.

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Oribatida #macro

#WeevilWednesday: Took a photo of this black vine weevil (_Otiorhynchus sulcatus_) late the other night. The next afternoon, I saw it had fallen prey to the common house spider (_Parasteatoda tepidariorum_) living nearby. Press F to pay respects.

#insects #beetles #weevils #Coleoptera #Curculionidae #Entiminae • #DailySpiderPic #arachnids #spiders #Araneae #Theridiidae #macro

Kicking off #InverteFest with a galumnoid oribatid from my garden!

:inaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.ca/observations/156463966

#DailyMitePic #MiteMonday #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Oribatida #macro

For #MiteMonday, here's a little oribatid I found under the bark of a rotting log in a very wet meadow. Unlike the poppyseed-like galumnoids I've posted before, this one has a clear division between head and abdomen. It would be serendipitous if it were a ptyctimous mite, as a new catalogue of this group was just published: https://www.mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5265.1.1

:inaturalist: https://inaturalist.ca/observations/155850533

#DailyMitePic #Mitestodon #arachnids #mites #Acari #Oribatida

Just a couple of oribatid mites under a rock in the garden…Galumnoidea, perhaps?

#Mitestodon #mites #arachnids #Arthropoda #Arachnida #Acari #Oribatida #Galumnidae