The larval genera and species of ‘harvest mites’ (Acarina: Trombiculidae)

Abstract

The mites of the subfamily Trombiculinae are of special importance since, in the larval form, they are reported from many countries to be a nuisance to human beings by the intense irritation caused by their bites. At least two species of these larvae are the acknowledged vectors of scrub typhus (OXK typhus, ‘tsutsugamushi’ or Japanese river fever). The nymph and adult mites are free living and are known to be predatory, feeding upon the collembola and also on the eggs of ants, mosquitoes and collembola. In the larval stage they are found as parasites on mammals, birds, snakes, lizards and frogs. They have also been recorded upon a scorpion and upon three families of grasshoppers.