Thread subject: Diptera.info :: Sphaeroceridae with mite -> Pullimosina heteroneura

Posted by Steve Scholnick on 01-01-2024 22:50
#2

FWIW, I don't think that's a parasitic mite. It looks like one of the phoretic mites one finds more commonly on beetles (for example: https://bugguide....ew/1599928). In my limited experience, parasitic mites are bright red/orange and assume a different stance on the host (with their heads down and mouthparts buried in the joints between segments of the cuticle).