''Trombidium breei'' is a species of red

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 ...

in the genus ''

Trombidium ''Trombidium'' is a genus of mite with about 30 described species. Species * '' Trombidium auroraense'' Vercammen-Grandjean, Van Driesche & Gyrisco, 1977 – New York * '' Trombidium breei'' Southcott, 1986 – Europe (host: ''Agapetes galathe ...

'' in the family

Trombidiidae Trombidiidae, also known as red velvet mites, true velvet mites, or rain bugs, are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods) found in plant litter and are known for their bright red color. While adults are typically no more than in length, so ...

. It is found in Europe. The

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e are parasites/

hosts A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County * Host Island, in the Wilhelm Archipelago, Antarctica People * ...

of certain butterflies (

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

), particularly meadow brown (''

Maniola jurtina The meadow brown (''Maniola jurtina'') is a butterfly found in the Palearctic realm. Its range includes Europe south of 62nd parallel north, 62°N, Russia eastwards to the Urals, Asia Minor, Iraq, Iran, North Africa and the Canary Islands. The l ...

''), gatekeeper (''

Pyronia tithonus ''Pyronia'' is a genus of butterflies from the subfamily Satyrinae in the family Nymphalidae. Description These butterflies have vestigial Vestigiality is the retention, during the process of evolution, of genetically determined structure ...

''), marbled white (''

Melanargia galathea ''Melanargia galathea'', the marbled white, is a medium-sized butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. Despite its common name and appearance, this butterfly is one of the "browns", of the subfamily Satyrinae. This species can be found across most ...

''), common blue (''

Polyommatus icarus The common blue butterfly or European common blue (''Polyommatus icarus'') is a butterfly in the family Lycaenidae and subfamily Polyommatinae. The butterfly is found throughout the Palearctic and has been introduced to North America. Butterfli ...

'') and small skipper (''

Thymelicus sylvestris The small skipper (''Thymelicus sylvestris'') is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. Appearance It has a rusty orange colour to the wings, upper body, and the tips of the antennae. The body is silvery white below, and it has a wingspan of 25 ...

''). They attach themselves to the thorax or legs of the butterfly and transfer from host to host when the butterflies alight to nectar at flowers.

References

* Synopsis of the described Arachnida of the World
Trombidiidae

Name

The species is named after Reverend

William Thomas Bree William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...

(1754–1822).

References

Name

Further reading