A resource for identification of commonly intercepted mite taxa

Mites (Acari or Acarina) are one of the most diverse and challenging group of microscopic arthropods encountered in quarantine. There are more than 50,000 described species with actual species richness estimated at 10 million. The Acari includes plant parasites capable of devastating crops, animal parasites that can cause economic losses, and human parasites of medical importance, as well as house dust mites that cause allergic sensitization in nearly 30% of the global population.

Invasive Mite ID is designed to support quarantine workers at three levels: (1) to allow a USDA quarantine officer to quickly sort a mite intercept into a group (non-actionable vs. potentially actionable) for further identification; (2) training in acarine morphology and identification through use of the tool’s content; and (3) advanced taxonomic support.