What exactly is this little red insect? Unfortunately I couldn’t take very sharp pictures. It is very small, with the naked eye you see it as a red dot. It moves very fast, seems to consist of some kind of red sphere with legs. Found in the garden. Is it some kind of aphid?
Answer
Hello Karel,
I suspect it’s a mite. I think I see eight legs in your photo, but I’m not quite sure. In any case, the soil, in forest litter or between the grass stalks, is teeming with small animals such as these soil mites. There are countless species and it is no sinecure for specialists to identify these animals with a microscope, let alone a blurry photo.
Kind regards,
Rudy
Answered by
Dr Rudy Jocque
Arachnology Zoology Biodiversity
Leuvensesteenweg 13 3080 Tervuren
http://www.africamuseum.be
.