Do Acari Molt? Investigating the Red Velvet Mite

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around whether acari, specifically the Red Velvet mite, undergo molting. Participants explore the general behavior of arthropods regarding molting, with a focus on the implications for acari and the terminology associated with the process.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Debate/contested, Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether all acari molt, citing conflicting information about arthropods in general.
  • Another participant asks for sources that specify which arthropods do not molt, suggesting that the term "ecdysis" may yield better search results.
  • A later reply reflects on the uncertainty of the original source's credibility, noting that the author may not be an expert in the field.
  • Participants discuss the possibility of growth in shelled creatures without complete exoskeleton shedding, indicating a need for further exploration of the topic.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express uncertainty regarding the molting behavior of acari and the generalization of arthropods, indicating that multiple competing views remain without a clear consensus.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the lack of specific examples of arthropods that do not molt and the dependence on the credibility of sources referenced in the discussion.

fluidistic
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I am wondering whether acari moult. For instance the Red Velvet mite. The few information that I've gathered so far is that "all arthropods molt", which seems to imply that all acari do molt.
And that "most arthropods moult" which is totally different from what I had started to read. Asking this question directly to google did not return an all cooked answer.
Thank you for any "trustable" information. :smile:

P.S.:Now that I've read that spiders molt, I remember having saw a cellar spider exoskeleton. And I've taken a photo of a loxosceles (laeta I think) exoskeleton. Previously I thought they were dead spiders, but now I know they were quite likely exoskeleton resulting from moulting.
 
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Simon Bridge said:
Where did you see "most arthropods molt"?
Do they provide examples of arthropods which do not molt?

I think you'll have better luck with "ecdysis" as a search term.
i.e. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1463-6409.1994.tb00383.x/abstract
Thank you, I will investigate with this term.
I found that information at http://sgmacro.blogspot.com.ar/2013/07/moulting-natural-wonder.html , first paragraph. A Velvet Mite appears at the bottom of the page, but without any information on moulting.
 
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Oh OK - the author is a photographer rather than an entero... emptyo... bug-person, so was probably just hedging his bets. Still - now you mention it, I don't actually know for definite and I can think of other ways a shelled creature could grow without shedding the whole exoskeleton in one go.
 

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