Mites are a type of arachnid, closely related to spiders and ticks. There are more than 48,000 known species of mites, ranging in size from 0.1 to 1.0 mm (0.004 to 0.04 inches). Most mites live in damp places such as soil, leaf litter, or rotting wood. Some mites are parasitic on animals and plants; a few species are predators that eat other mites.
Mites generally have four pairs of legs as adults, although some larval stages have fewer legs and some adults have extra pairs of prolegs for grasping prey. The body of a mite is divided into two regions: the cephalothorax (head and thorax fused together), and the abdomen. The majority of mites lack eyesight, but some groups have simple eyespots, while others have complex eyes with lenses. Mites breathe through pores in their bodies called stigmata; they do not have lungs or tracheae like insects do.
The female lays eggs inside a protective cocoon; when they hatch the larvae look like miniature versions of the adults except they only have three pairs of legs. After going through several molts (shedding their skin as they grow), they finally develop into full-grown adults with four pairs of legs.”