mite

a free-living or parasitic arthropod belonging to a group (Acarina) that also includes the TICK . Most mites are small, averaging 1 mm or less in length. A mite has no antennae or wings, and its body is not divided into a distinct head, thorax, and abdomen. Medically important mites include the many species causing dermatitis (e.g. Dermatophagoides) and the harvest mite (see TROMBICULA ), which transmits scrub typhus.