Illustration by EH Zeck.
This is an illustration of Red legged earth mite Halotydeus destructor (Tucker) (Acari:Penthaleidae)
Order reference: red-legged-earth-mite
A pest of pastures, especially clover. Zeck has illustrated four stages of the life cycle, with a young nymph (1), an older nymph (2), two adults (3) and a group of eggs (4) laid into the soil. The magnified area shows the mites amongst the leaf hairs to give an idea of size and to give a better idea of the beautiful colouring of these tiny creatures.