TrombiculaTrombicula, known as chiggers, red bugs, scrub-itch mites, or berry bugs, are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods) in the Trombiculidae family. In their larval stage, they attach to various animals, including humans, and feed on skin, often causing itching and trombiculosis. These relatives of ticks are nearly microscopic, measuring 0.4 mm (0.01 in) and have a chrome-orange hue. A common species of harvest mite in North America is Trombicula alfreddugesi. The larval mites feed on the skin cells, but not blood, of animals.
Tagma (biology)In biology, a tagma (Greek: τάγμα, : tagmata – τάγματα - body of soldiers; battalion) is a specialized grouping of multiple segments or metameres into a coherently functional morphological unit. Familiar examples are the head, the thorax, and the abdomen of insects. The segments within a tagma may be either fused (such as in the head of an insect) or so jointed as to be independently moveable (such as in the abdomen of most insects).
AcaricideAcaricides are pesticides that kill members of the arachnid subclass Acari, which includes ticks and mites. Acaricides are used both in medicine and agriculture, although the desired selective toxicity differs between the two fields. More specific words are sometimes used, depending upon the targeted group: "Ixodicides" are substances that kill ticks. "Miticides" are substances that kill mites. The term scabicide is more narrow, and refers to agents specifically targeting Sarcoptes.
SetaIn biology, setae ˈsiːtiː (: seta ˈsiːtə; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms. Annelid setae are stiff bristles present on the body. They help, for example, earthworms to attach to the surface and prevent backsliding during peristaltic motion. These hairs make it difficult to pull a worm straight from the ground. Setae in oligochaetes (a group including earthworms) are largely composed of chitin.
