Trombicula alfreddugesi

Trombicula alfreddugesi, also called Eutrombicula alfreddugè, is a species in the genus Trombicula. (Eutrombicula is a subgenus of mites in Trombicula of the family Trombiculidae.)

It is the common chigger species of the United States, also sometimes called the harvest mite. Chiggers are the parasitic larval stages of these free-living mites. It is rarely, if ever, seen by most people in the dry Western states because they prefer humid climates. They are commonly found in growth and grassy brush areas; the larvae host on animals (e.g. reptiles, birds, and wild and domestic mammals), causing welts that can turn into dermatitis. See chiggers.