A Microscopic Spider Mite - Stills and Video

Mitch640 · Post by **Mitch640** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 6:14 am

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.

The video link.

I have an image of a difflugia shell that is as big as this bug.

RogelioMoreno · Post by **RogelioMoreno** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 4:43 pm

Mitch,

Nice video, it looks better on the video.

Rogelio

Mitch640 · Post by **Mitch640** » Mon Jan 30, 2012 5:00 pm

Thanks Rogelio. It does look better in video. It always does for some reason. I am saving now for a T2i or possibly a CCD Box camera.

I have asked around and done some searches and this little guy seems to be close to the smallest bug in the world. I have seen Rotifers and Closterium bigger than he is. I even have video of a diatom that is bigger.

curt0909 · Post by **curt0909** » Tue Jan 31, 2012 2:00 am

Mitch, the video is excellent. The black and white and high dof make it look like a video SEM

Cactusdave · Post by **Cactusdave** » Tue Jan 31, 2012 2:23 am

Very nice video. Looks much better there than in the stills.

Mitch640 · Post by **Mitch640** » Tue Jan 31, 2012 5:36 am

Thanks Curt and Dave. I believe the reason he looks black in stills is because of the transmitted light coming up through him. In reality, well, in the stereo microscope, they are almost clear or slightly milky looking. Next time I get one out, I will use reflected light and see if that records any better.

Also, I found, he has escaped from the slide, and then when I took the slide apart, I found I had put two coverslips on it to start with, so it was recorded at a disadvantage from the beginning.

rekuwi · Post by **rekuwi** » Tue Jan 31, 2012 9:11 am

Hallo Mitch,

what about Hydrachnellae!? Some of them live in moss and they start very tiny.

Best regards
Regi

Mitch640 · Post by **Mitch640** » Tue Jan 31, 2012 9:26 am

Never heard of that one Regi. But yesterday, I did a Google search, and according to them, the smallest insect in the world is a parasitic wasp from the Island of Guadalupe, with a length of 139 microns.