Help identify an insect on a cactus

Question

I found this insect on my Echinopsis sp. It sort of looks like a tick, but what would a tick be doing on a cactus? What is it, and is it harmful?

@GrahamChiu: A couple of millimeters long – Armen Tsirunyan Feb 13 '18 at 12:22 — Armen Tsirunyan, Feb 13 '18 at 12:22

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Feb 13 '18 at 14:48

Looks like a Red Velvet Mite to me, although the pic's not entirely clear. If it is, they're arachnids and predators on other arachnids when mature, when young they may be parasitic, also on arachnids. Generally found in the soil, but they won't cause any harm to your plant https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trombidiidae

score 1 · Answer 2 · edited Feb 13 '18 at 15:15

1

If it's 1-2 mm in size them it's probably a whirligig mite How helpful are whirligig mites? . Spider mites are .5 mm long and generally need magnification to see.

https://bugguide.net/node/view/94328

edited Feb 13 '18 at 15:15

Giacomo Catenazzi

14,039
3
19
44

answered Feb 13 '18 at 13:56

Graham Chiu

23,044
5
36
92

Help identify an insect on a cactus

2 Answers2