Spider Mite - The Smallest Bug I Have Ever Seen

canonloader · 30th of January 2012 (Mon)

I found this guy in a petri dish with a sample of moss I got from my yard last spring. I've kept the moss alive the whole time by adding small amounts of water and keeping it under my desk lamp.

There does not seem to be much information online about them, and I was not able to find this particular species by searching Google. I do have a whole family of them in the petri dish though, which I found by using a stereo microscope to look at the moss one day.

Here's a video of him.

And a couple of stills.

orionmystery · 30th of January 2012 (Mon)

Great captures Mitch. 140 um....no idea how minute that is!

canonloader · 30th of January 2012 (Mon)

Thanks Kurt. There are 1000 µm in one mm. Very small, your eye can not see it without help.

gatorlink · 30th of January 2012 (Mon)

Amazing. I tend to think of microscopic organisms as being unlike the creatures we perceive with the naked eye, but clearly that's not the case. This mite is very much like its bigger cousins despite being ~ 1/10 their size. One must wonder: what is the smallest organism in the world that has legs and walks around like any old animal?

canonloader · 30th of January 2012 (Mon)

Thanks Gator. Take a look at Toby's thread. We were discussing it there. This spider mite is very close to the smallest, but there is a smaller yet parasitic wasp.

To put this more in perspective, Daphnia are much bigger than this mite. I have seen Rotifers almost 3 times as big. So the lines of size are crossed many times. There are Cyclops, a copapod, that is directly related to insects, but has no heart or lungs. They use to have both, but devolved them after finding them not necessary.

Our world is just amazing.

Martin G. · 30th of January 2012 (Mon)

great capture Mitch!

LordV · 31st of January 2012 (Tue)

Interesting captures mitch
Brian v

canonloader · 31st of January 2012 (Tue)

Thanks Martin and Brian. I would like to find this species listed somewhere, but I think there are still more bugs that haven't been named than have.

BasAndrews · 1st of February 2012 (Wed)

Brillint Mitch

canonloader · 1st of February 2012 (Wed)

Thanks Bas. By the way, this is the bug I at first thought was a springtail.

30th of January 2012 (Mon)	#1
canonloader Cream of the Crop Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Behind A Camera Posts: 52,850 IMAGE EDITING OK	Spider Mite - The Smallest Bug I Have Ever Seen I found this guy in a petri dish with a sample of moss I got from my yard last spring. I've kept the moss alive the whole time by adding small amounts of water and keeping it under my desk lamp. There does not seem to be much information online about them, and I was not able to find this particular species by searching Google. I do have a whole family of them in the petri dish though, which I found by using a stereo microscope to look at the moss one day. Here's a video of him. And a couple of stills. __________________ Mitch- ____...^.^...____ My Microscope Stuff Gear List, My Flash Gallery, My You Tube, Ride My Bi-Sickle War is not about who's right, it's about who's left.

30th of January 2012 (Mon)	#2
orionmystery Cream of the Crop Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Malaysia Posts: 10,099	Re: Spider Mite - The Smallest Bug I Have Ever Seen Great captures Mitch. 140 um....no idea how minute that is! __________________ Kurt, 40D, MP-E65 & MT-24EX for full flash, Sigma 150 +1.4x TC for natural light. My Macro Rig

30th of January 2012 (Mon)	#3
canonloader Cream of the Crop Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Behind A Camera Posts: 52,850 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Spider Mite - The Smallest Bug I Have Ever Seen Thanks Kurt. There are 1000 µm in one mm. Very small, your eye can not see it without help. __________________ Mitch- ____...^.^...____ My Microscope Stuff Gear List, My Flash Gallery, My You Tube, Ride My Bi-Sickle War is not about who's right, it's about who's left.

30th of January 2012 (Mon)	#4
gatorlink Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 850	Re: Spider Mite - The Smallest Bug I Have Ever Seen Amazing. I tend to think of microscopic organisms as being unlike the creatures we perceive with the naked eye, but clearly that's not the case. This mite is very much like its bigger cousins despite being ~ 1/10 their size. One must wonder: what is the smallest organism in the world that has legs and walks around like any old animal? __________________ Ryan Flickr Facebook Gear List

30th of January 2012 (Mon)	#5
canonloader Cream of the Crop Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Behind A Camera Posts: 52,850 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Spider Mite - The Smallest Bug I Have Ever Seen Thanks Gator. Take a look at Toby's thread. We were discussing it there. This spider mite is very close to the smallest, but there is a smaller yet parasitic wasp. To put this more in perspective, Daphnia are much bigger than this mite. I have seen Rotifers almost 3 times as big. So the lines of size are crossed many times. There are Cyclops, a copapod, that is directly related to insects, but has no heart or lungs. They use to have both, but devolved them after finding them not necessary. Our world is just amazing. __________________ Mitch- ____...^.^...____ My Microscope Stuff Gear List, My Flash Gallery, My You Tube, Ride My Bi-Sickle War is not about who's right, it's about who's left.

30th of January 2012 (Mon)	#6
Martin G. Goldmember Join Date: May 2009 Location: Montreal, Qc, Canada Posts: 2,057 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Spider Mite - The Smallest Bug I Have Ever Seen great capture Mitch! __________________ 6D & 50D EF 24-105 L, EF 100mm L IS, MP-E 65 Macro Twin Flash MT-24EX, 430 EX II & 270 EX

31st of January 2012 (Tue)	#7
LordV Macro Photo-Lord of the Year 2006 Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Worthing UK Posts: 46,012 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Spider Mite - The Smallest Bug I Have Ever Seen Interesting captures mitch Brian v __________________ http://www.flickr.com/photos/lordv/ http://www.lordv.smugmug.com/ Macro Hints and tips http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...d.php?t=807056 Canon 20D, Canon 40D, Canon 5D mk2, Sigma 105mm EX macro, Tamron 90mm macro, Canon MPE-65,18-55 kit lens X2, canon 200mm F2.8 L, Tamron 28-70mm xrdi, Other assorted bits

1st of February 2012 (Wed)	#9
BasAndrews Cream of the Crop Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Bristol UK Posts: 7,595 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Spider Mite - The Smallest Bug I Have Ever Seen Brillint Mitch __________________ Bas I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.

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