Trombiculidae
Trombiculid mites are parasitic larvae that cause itchy welts.
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Trombiculidae are a family of mites known in North America as chiggers and in Britain as harvest mites.[1] Several Trombiculidae species, during their larval phase, bite animal hosts to feed on skin, embedding mouthparts and causing irritation.[2] These mites, which are related to ticks, measure about 400 μm and display a chrome-orange color.[3]
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumArthropoda
- SubphylumChelicerata
- ClassArachnida
- OrderTrombidiformes
- FamilyTrombiculidae
Named by Ewing, 1929
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Trombiculidae (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Quick Facts
- Type genus
- Trombicula
Facts from the source article.
Biology and range
Trombiculidae live in forests, grasslands, and low damp vegetation such as berry bushes and along lakes, as well as drier places like lawns and parks.[4] Larvae inject digestive enzymes into the skin, forming a hole called a stylostome, and digest inner skin cells.[5] Trombiculid mites are found worldwide, but are more prevalent in hot and humid regions of Europe and North America.[6] The highest numbers of these mites occur in early summer, when vegetation reaches its greatest density.[4]
The developmental sequence of these mites consists of egg, larva, nymph, and adult.[7] A wide range of animals, including humans, rabbits, toads, box turtles, quail, and certain insects, serve as hosts for the six-legged parasitic larvae.[7] Once feeding is complete, larvae fall to the ground, transforming into nymphs and then into eight-legged adults that pose no threat to humans.[8]
What the specialist sources record
The GBIF Backbone Taxonomy accepts Trombiculidae as a family in the order Trombidiformes, class Arachnida, and holds 27,813 occurrence records as of 13 October 2026.[9] According to the 2002 book "Medical and veterinary entomology", only the larval stage of the mite's lifecycle is parasitic.[10][11] The same publication indicates that the mite's lifecycle duration, which varies by species and environmental conditions, typically spans two to twelve months.[10][7] "Feline clinical parasitology" (2001) notes that chigger references date back to sixth-century China, with the first identification in North America occurring in 1733.[12][13]
References
- Wikipedia, "Trombiculidae" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: G. A. Smith, "The summer penile syndrome: seasonal acute hypersensitivity reaction caused by chigger bites on the penis", Pediatric Emergency Care, 1998, p. 116–118 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Trombiculidae" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: chigger: Medical dictionary: "produces a wheal, usually with severe itching and dermatitis"; Chigger: American Heritage Dictionary; chigger: Dictionary.com, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/chigger; Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary, chiggers cause intense irritation (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Trombiculidae" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Mandell, "Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases.", Elsevier Churchill Livingstone, 2005; Goldman, "Cecil Medicine", Elsevier Health Sciences, 2007, p. 1032 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Trombiculidae" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ballantine, Todd, "Tideland treasure: the naturalist's guide to the beaches and salt marshes of Hilton Head Island and the southeastern coast", University of South Carolina Press, 1991, p. 1–4 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Trombiculidae" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: chigger: Medical dictionary: "produces a wheal, usually with severe itching and dermatitis"; Potter, "Invisible Itches: Insect and Non-Insect Causes", University of Florida, Depart, February 2000, p. 1–4 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Trombiculidae" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Aoûtat: Definition", Vulgaris - medical (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Trombiculidae" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Durden, "Medical and veterinary entomology", Academic Press, 2002, p. 458 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Trombiculidae" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Potter, "Invisible Itches: Insect and Non-Insect Causes", University of Florida, Depart, February 2000, p. 1–4 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Trombiculidae (taxon key 2803). CC BY 4.0 (backbone); counts are facts. gbif.org
- Open Library record, ISBN 9780125104517 ("Medical and veterinary entomology"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
- Wikipedia, "Trombiculidae" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Durden, "Medical and veterinary entomology", Academic Press, 2002, p. 458; "ACES Publications: CHIGGERS: ANR-1109"; Finke, "University of MD Chigger Fact sheet", 1998-10-01; "Chiggers" (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Open Library record, ISBN 9780813803333 ("Feline Clinical Parasitology"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
- Wikipedia, "Trombiculidae" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Feline clinical parasitology", Wiley-Blackwell, 2002, p. 385–386 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Trombiculidae (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Arachnids & Myriapods
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Trombiculidae (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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