| Water
Mite
These bugs a quite tiny, hence the “mite”
in their name.
What they look like:
Water Mites look like fat little spiders. They have
a flat, round body with four hairy pairs of legs for
swimming. The moveable head is attached to the body
by a hinge.
Size:
Very small at 1-5 mm long.
Where they live:
Water Mites swim in slow flowing and shallow
water among plants. They live in all freshwater environments,
but are more abundant in species and number in slow-moving
waters. They sometimes attach themselves to other aquatic
insects at different times in their youth.
What they eat:
Water Mites eat plant or animal substances, decaying
organisms, and humus (the dark, fertile matter in soils).
They can be parasitic and attach themselves to other aquatic
insects to feed off it.
Pollution tolerance: Sensitive,
rating 6
Water Mites are sensitive to changes in the environment,
as they can be parasitic. |
What’s interesting about
Water Mites? |
