Is it a mite?

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Common names

velvet worms, peripatus, onychophorans

Probability of encounter

low

Quarantine importance

No known importance.

Similarity to mites

None.

Morphology

Normal adult length: >2 cm
Bodybody:
the idiosoma of mites.
tagmata: trunk + head
Eyes: a pair of lateral ocelliocellus:
(pl. ocelli) a simple eye.  Mites with eyes usually have one or two pairs of lateral ocelli, but some Opilioacarida have three pairs.  Additionally, some acariform mites have one or two median ocelli on the underside of the naso.

Antennae: 1 pair, annulate
Mouthparts: internal mandibles, pair of oral papillae
Legs: numerous pairs of lobopods
Respiration: cuticular
Gonopore: obscure
Distinguishing features: annulate and papillate bodybody:
the idiosoma of mites.
, numerous lobopods, annulate antennae, glue glands

Comments: Velvet worms have an annulated, worm-likeworm-like:
elongate, with reduced legs as in some Nematalycidae (Endeostigmata).
body covered with papillae, typically with a grey-blue to brown basic coloration and usually banded or spotted. The head has a pair of ocelliocellus:
(pl. ocelli) a simple eye.  Mites with eyes usually have one or two pairs of lateral ocelli, but some Opilioacarida have three pairs.  Additionally, some acariform mites have one or two median ocelli on the underside of the naso.
, a pair of annulate antennae, and a pair of oral papillae that produce the glue. The mandibles consist of a pair of sharp, toothed structures within an oral pouch. The legs are lobopods and end with a pair of claws. The anus is terminal.

Diversity

<100 described species

References

• Tree of Life Web Project 2000bTree of Life Web Project 2000b:
  Tree of Life Web Project. 2000b. Onychophora. Velvet Worms. Version 01 January 2000 (temporary). The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/