What does a cucumber mite look like in a greenhouse? - briefly
In greenhouse environments, the «cucumber mite» is a minute, translucent organism about 0.2 mm long, pale yellow‑green, with a worm‑like body and two pairs of front legs. It resides on the undersides of leaves, forming fine webbing and producing stippled damage.
What does a cucumber mite look like in a greenhouse? - in detail
Cucumber mites inhabiting greenhouse environments are minute arachnids, typically measuring 0.2–0.4 mm in length. Their bodies are oval, dorsally flattened, and covered with a fine, waxy cuticle that gives a pale green to yellowish hue, allowing them to blend with cucumber foliage. The dorsal surface bears a faint reticulate pattern of ridges, while the ventral side displays six pairs of short, stout legs, each ending in tiny claws adapted for clinging to leaf surfaces.
Key morphological features include:
- Gnathosoma (mouthparts): elongated, with chelicerae capable of piercing epidermal cells.
- Setae: sparse, fine hairs arranged in two longitudinal rows, aiding in sensory perception.
- Eyes: absent or reduced, typical for phytophagous mites that rely on tactile cues.
- Silk glands: present in adult females, producing fine webbing used to bind eggs and protect colonies.
Life stages are distinguishable by size and coloration:
- Eggs: oval, translucent, deposited on the underside of leaves, often in clusters of 10–30.
- Larvae: six-legged, lighter in color, lacking fully developed setae.
- Nymphs (protonymph and deutonymph): eight-legged, intermediate size, gradually acquiring adult pigmentation.
- Adults: fully pigmented, eight-legged, capable of rapid population expansion under optimal humidity and temperature.
In greenhouse conditions, high humidity (70–80 %) and temperatures between 22 °C and 28 °C accelerate development, resulting in overlapping generations and dense infestations. Colonies are usually found on the abaxial leaf surface, near veins where moisture accumulates. Visible signs of infestation include stippling, bronzing, and curling of leaf margins, often accompanied by fine, silvery webbing that obscures the leaf underside.
Distinguishing cucumber mites from other greenhouse pests requires attention to body shape and leg count. Unlike thrips, which possess elongated bodies and winged forms, cucumber mites are wingless and lack the pronounced antennae of spider mites. Their coloration, combined with the characteristic webbing pattern, provides a reliable diagnostic marker for rapid identification.