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Wet Deserts and Creepie Crawlies

Yuma, AZ. I saw two of these creatures in a sandy desert on a rainy day. The body is 0.25--0.35 inches long. But the color really leaps out at you. Any guesses?

 

The photo above shows the color as too burnt red. In reality it was more scarlet red, such as this:



That's the head coming to get the cameraman. This thing, or rather, its color really amused me.
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Comments

Steve said…
It looks like you ran onto some Chiggers, Harvest Mites or Trombiculidae. From what I have read don't mess with them.

Link: http://www.dirtdoctor.com/Chigger_vq13.htm Although it described the size as microscopic maybe they grow larger in the SW.
January 27, 2013 at 4:30 PM
Steve said…
It looks like you ran onto some of these. Though described as microscopic in size maybe they grow larger in the SW.

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/Chigger_vq13.htm
January 27, 2013 at 4:33 PM
kaBLOOnie Boonster said…
Steve, visually my red beastie does indeed look like those in your link. But like you say, chiggers are microscopic, while mine are over 1/4" long -- just the bodies.

Well, I guess we can say they are some kind of ARACHNID, because of the 8 legs.
January 27, 2013 at 5:28 PM
Redwood Corgi said…
Perhaps it's a velvet mite? See attached
http://www.wildwanderer.com/blog/?p=387
January 27, 2013 at 6:25 PM
edlfrey said…
I think what you have there is a Velvet Mite in the family Trombidiidae. These creatures never fail to attract attention because of their large size (the body length of adults is about 1/4 to 5/8 in., or 5 to 8 mm) and brilliant crimson furry bodies. The adults remain in the soil most of the year and spend only a few hours above ground, usually following a rain, probably to feast on their prey, which also respond to rains by emerging in numbers.
January 27, 2013 at 7:00 PM
kaBLOOnie Boonster said…
Steve, Redwood Corgi, and Ed, I am mighty impressed with your insect-detective work. It's gotta be the Giant Red Velvet Mite. Redwood Corgi, your link was very helpful and it led to insectIdentification.org.
January 27, 2013 at 7:07 PM
Box Canyon Blog.com said…
Yuma has cast a spell on you. Should I call a Shaman? No, I'm not "grossed out" by your anchor... sooner or later most fall prey to the "Home Base" syndrome :)) I just wish it was someplace more "Postcardish."
We are finding great biking north of you in the Colorado River/Lake corridor... empty paved backroads and some dirt for your mountain bike. But the "Tribe" wouldn't be here... I get that. But making a plan for 2014? already?
mark
January 28, 2013 at 8:58 AM
Steve said…
For bird ID's this is a good online reference.

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1189

Steve
January 28, 2013 at 9:11 AM
kaBLOOnie Boonster said…
The Home Base Syndrome! Aaargh! Not me. Nor has Yuma cast a spell on me. I simply enjoy having a nice bicycle club to ride with. By the end of February, I will be so sick of bumping into people in the laundromat or in the grocery store parking lot, that I'll scream. The sun will already be hot by then, too.

It's too bad that it's so hard to overlap with you guys during your brief RV vacation sightseeing postcard trips.
January 28, 2013 at 9:27 AM
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