A brightly colored parasitic mite on a midge.
Mite larvae pierce the cuticle of the host and ingest hemolymph and interstitial fluids via a stylostome, which acts as a proteinaceous drinking straw. After engorging, larvae drop off the host and transform into octopod nymphs and then adults. Both adults and deutonymphs are free-living predators of small invertebrates.
Size: 6048px × 4032px
Location: Washington, United States
Photo credit: © Kari Marttila / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: acariformes, actinotrichida, bug, carrying, ecto, ecto-parasite, ectoparasite, external, feeding, flying, gnat, host, insect, large, midge, mite, orange, parasite, parasitic, parasitism, parasitizing, pest, small
