Major mite taxa

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Taxonomy

updated 2025

Common names

spider mites, peacock mites, false spider mites.

Probability of encounter

very high

Open Tetranychoidea Pests Ranking Model and List

Quarantine importance

Very high. The Tetranychoidea contains most of the important plant-parasitic mites outside of the Eupodoidea, including the spider mites and false spider mites.

Diagnosis

Most species soft-bodied, others with varying degrees of dorsal sclerotization; mostly white, red, yellow, or green  in color. Cheliceral bases adnate, fused mesally into a stylophore (sometimes withdrawn into the body); chelicerae with fixed digit reduced and movable digit whiplike. Peritremes, when present, typically chambered structures on the dorso-lateral surface of the prodorsum; naso absent; prodorsal trichobothria absent; eye lenses usually present. Palps 4–5 segmented; with or without one or a claw-like seta on the palp tibia and with a thumb- or button-like subterminal palp tarsus. Leg tarsi usually with tenent hairs on claws or empodium. Genital papillae absent; males with an intromittent aedeagus.

Similar taxa

The Stigmaeidae are sometimes confused with spider mites, but these predatory mites lack the whip-like movable digits. Cryptognathidae are capable of retracting their gnathosoma, but their cheliceral bases are free and the movable digit is hook-like.

Ecology and distribution

The Tetranychoidea are plant-associated mites, and includes the infamous spider mites (Tetranychidae). Tetranychoid species that feed on grasses or pasture legumes may occasionally appear in soil samples.

References

• Beard et al. 2003Beard et al. 2003:
  Beard JJ, Walter DE, Allsopp P. 2003. Spider mites of sugarcane in Australia: A review of grass-feeding Oligonychus Berlese (Acari: Prostigmata: Tetranychidae) with the description of four new species. Australian Journal of Entomology 42: 51–78.
• Bolland et al. 1998Bolland et al. 1998:
  Bolland HR, Gutierrez J, Flechtmann CHW. 1998. World catalogue of the spider mite family (Acari: Tetranychidae). Brill, Leiden.
• Evans et al. 1993Evans et al. 1993:
  Evans GA, Cromroy HL, Ochoa R. 1993. The Tenuipalpidae of Honduras (Tenuipalpidae: Acari). Florida Entomologist 76: 126–155.
• Helle and Sabelis 1985Helle and Sabelis 1985:
  Helle W and Sabelis MW, eds. 1985. Spider mites: Their biology, natural enemies, and control. World Crop Pests, Vol. 1A. Elsevier, New York.
• Hislop and Jeppson 1976Hislop and Jeppson 1976:
  Hislop RG, Jeppson LR. 1976. Morphology of the mouthparts of several species of phytophagous mites. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 69: 1125–1135.
• Jeppson et al. 1975Jeppson et al. 1975:
  Jeppson LR, Keifer HH, Baker EW. 1975. Mites injurious to economic plants. University of California Press, Berkeley.
• Krantz 1978Krantz 1978:
  Krantz GW. 1978. A manual of acarology [2nd ed.]. Oregon State University Book Stores, Corvallis.
• Meyer 1979Meyer 1979:
  Meyer MKPS. 1979. The Tenuipalpidae (Acari) of Africa with keys to the world fauna. Republic of South Africa, Department of Agricultural Technical Services, Entomology Memoir No. 50: 135 pp.
• Meyer and Ueckermann 1997Meyer and Ueckermann 1997:
  Meyer MKPS, Ueckermann EA. 1997. A review of some species of the families Allochaetophoridae, Linotetranidae and Tuckerellidae (Acari: Tetranychoidea). International Journal of Acarology 23: 67–92.
• Ochoa et al. 1994Ochoa et al. 1994:
  Ochoa R, Aguilar H, Vargas C. 1994. Phytophagous mites of Central America: An illustrated guide. CATIE, Turrialba, Costa Rica.