The Acari are an order of Arachnids.

Its just that most Arachnologists decide to study either Acari, or the other orders of arachnids, as the Acari are VAST.

Also: That red spider mite factsheet is not something you would find in the UK. That picture is actually of a South African giant variety that reaches 4mm+ body diameter. Unfortunately, the red mites you see in your garden could be one of several very similar species. Acari Taxonomy is a nightmare.

I suggest that if you want to see mites, get yourself a good stereomicroscope (i.e around £70) and collect some dirt, leaf litter or red algae/sand from the beach. Spread it out in a petri dish and look around for a bit. You'll quickly find hundreds of different species of mites. My favourites are the marine types that are often smaller than grains of sand.

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"All I know is my gut says maybe"

Brachypelma albopilosum (Charlotte)
Typopeltis sp. (Seigfried, Roy)
Galeodes arab. (Yojimbo)

Member of the BAS and AAS.

thats really interesting, i used to try and collect them up when i was little and used to end up squashing them.

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