Spider Mites

Scientific name: Tetranychus and other genera
(Acari: Tetranychidae)

Facts: Spider mites are sometimes called red spiders. They are pale-greenish to reddish, six-legged in the immature stages and eight-legged as adults, soft-bodied and up to about 1/60 inch long. Piercing-sucking mouthparts are used to feed on plant tissues. Mites cannot be identified to species without very high power microscopes and special preparation of specimens. Some mites are predators.

Photo credit: Extension Entomology, Texas A&M University