Trombidiidae (family)

Red velvet mite at Symonston, ACT

Trombidiidae (family) at Symonston, ACT - 31 Aug 2021
Trombidiidae (family) at Symonston, ACT - 31 Aug 2021
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Identification history

Trombidiidae (family) 5 Nov 2022 MichaelMulvaney
Trombidiidae (family) 4 Nov 2022 Detritivore

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User's notes

Maybe mating? Maybe smaller ones are babies?

1 comment

   5 Nov 2022
Female Red Velvet Mites are bigger than males but they don't actually mate. Instead the male does a mating dance in which he constructs a intricate silken web of sperm often on a twig. If a female finds the web and its construction impresses her, she will find the artist and sit on the sperm. If, however, another male finds a web of another males sperm, he will destroy it and create his own, new web. so not sure what is going on here.

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Sighting information

Additional information

  • Less than 5mm Animal size

Species information

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