Bug FAQIntertidal Red Mite
Neomolgus littoralis · Order: Trombidiformes · Family: Bdellidae
Also called: Neomulgus littoralis
The intertidal red mite grows to about 2 mm long. It is bright red with abdominal ridges, white leg hairs, and a long snout. It lives on shorelines in North America, Europe, and Japan and feeds on small insects such as kelp flies.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Red body with ridged abdomen, white hairs on legs, and a long snout.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Reaches about 2 mm (0.079 in) in length.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Eats small insects, including kelp flies.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Native to shorelines of North America, Europe, and Japan.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 10 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, Maine, Hawaii, New York, North Carolina.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What does the intertidal red mite look like?
It is red with ridges on its abdomen, white hairs on its legs, and a long snout.
Source: Wikipedia
Where can I find intertidal red mites?
They are found on shorelines in North America, Europe, and Japan.
Source: Wikipedia
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neomolgus_littoralis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.