Unusual Spider is Actually a Mite

Observation by Sonny Lamont:

In all of my life, I’ve never seen this species of spider in Newhalen, Alaska.

Jozef Slowik, entomologist with the UAF Cooperative Extension, writes:

This is a mite, from the family Erythraeoidae. These are long legged mites related to the red and velvet mites which we commonly see on grass and under rocks.

Comments from LEO Editors:

Both mites and spiders belong to the class Arachnida, but have a different ecological roles. Mites can be found near fresh and salt water, and in soil of forests, pasture, and even around hot springs and caves. Mites feed on living and dead plant matter, as well as lichens and carrion. There are an estimated 48,200 species of mite, many of which are not harmful to humans.