Penthaleidae, also referred to as earth mites, are a family of
mite
Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods) of two large orders, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari. However, most recent genetic analyses do not recover the two as eac ...
s that are major winter pests of a variety of crops and pastures in southern
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
.
The following genera are found in the family in Australia:
*''
Chromotydaeus''
Berlese, 1903
*''
Halotydeus''
Berlese, 1891
*''
Penthaleus''
Koch, 1835
References
Trombidiformes
Taxa named by Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans
Acari families
{{Trombidiformes-stub