MITES
- Any of about
20,000 species of tiny arthropod invertebrates belonging to the
subclass Acari - sometimes Acarina, or Acarida, of the class
Arachnida.
Mites live in varied
habitats: in brackish water, in fresh water, in hot springs, in
soil, on plants, and as parasites on and in animals. Parasitic
forms may live in the nasal passages, lungs, stomach, or deeper
body tissues of animals. Some mites are carriers of human and
animal diseases. Plant-feeding mites cause damage by feeding on
leaf tissues or by transmitting viral diseases.
Mites are small, often
microscopic in size—the smallest being about 0.1 mm (0.004 inch)
in length and the largest being about 6 mm (0.25 inch)—and they
usually have four pairs of legs. In general, they breathe by means
of tracheae, or air tubes; in many species, however, respiration
takes place through the skin.