Panonychus ulmi (Koch, 1836)

Fruit tree red spider mite

Panonychus ulmi is found on vines and fruit trees throughout Europe. Its mouth apparatus in the form of chelicerae and its body fused into a single mass ( Idiosoma ) place it in the class of Arachnida, infra-class of Acari. Its long, curved, stylet-shaped chelicerae, protected by a stylophore, with conspicuous individuals and well-developed palps, are characteristic of the Tetranychidae family, grouping together the large mites that are pests of crops usually referred to as “spiders”.