A comprehensive database for the Tetranychidae
How to cite / Publication
Preferred format:
Alain MIGEON, Elodie NOUGUIER, Franck DORKELD (2011) Spider Mites Web: a comprehensive database for the Tetranychidae. Trends in Acarology: 557-560.
Alain MIGEON and Franck DORKELD (current year) Spider Mites Web: a comprehensive database for the Tetranychidae. Available from https://www1.montpellier.inrae.fr/CBGP/spmweb (Accessed DD/MM/YYYY)
Recently added features and updates
January 2025
We have now more than 1000 citations of the database. It's a plaesure to see that the database is useful and used by the scientific community.
Thanks to all the users who cited the database.
December 2024
We have added all the supraspecific taxa with their original description, their nomenclature history and possible synonyms, and their parent and child taxa.
For each of them, we'll provide, over time, the literature useful for the determinations, and in particular, the available keys.
Given that, especially at generic levels, the nomencalture is not linear with many to and from subgenera, genera splits etc,
the nomeclature is presented in chronological order.
You can see an example without subgenera here and with subgenera here.
You can access to these genera, tribes and subfamilies by browsing all the taxa (updated feature here),
or via the updated "Search taxon" menu here,
where you can try typing "Amphitetranychus" or any other taxon name of any rank.
June 2024
We now display all the literature recorded for each species [with keywords] (see an example here).
January 2024
We have added a new rubric "Identification tools" which compliles the literature available to perform species identification.
July 2023
We are pleased to release a new version of the website.
This update ensures that our site is now user-friendly and responsive, adapting seamlessly to various devices, including computers, tablets, and smartphones.
Alongside a refreshed design, we've enhanced the database engine to facilitate easier updates, improve user experience, and ensure smoother navigation.
Furthermore, we've also added a new scale for map display.
Aims and scope
Welcome to Spider Mites Web, a dedicated resource for comprehensive information on spider mites (Acari: Tetranychidae). One of the specificity of these mites is to spin webs for their protection. This family of mites currently includes 1363 phytophagous species ranging from 200 to 900 µm. They form an important group with regard to agriculture, with over a hundred being considered pests, and approximately ten classified as major pests. Among them, the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch., stands out as the most well-known and widespread.
The aim of these pages is to provide comprehensive information on all the spider mites in the world: the taxonomic data relating to the history of nomenclature; the geographical distribution (with mpas at country level or at TDWG Level4 level) and the host plant details. All this knowledge provides a synthetic view of the biodiversity of these mites. 2190 references spanning from 1758 to the present are included.
Navigating the database is made easy through the top menu. We offer three types of queries to suit your needs. For each species you can display the record with all the nomenclature, host-plants, distribution and distribution map. By clicking on Search Species you can conduct searches based on species names, valid or invalid. For each supraspecific taxon (subfamily, tribe, genus) you can display the record with all the nomenclature, identification tools, parent and child taxa. Search Taxon allows you to perfrom search by any taxon name (subfamily, tribe, genus, and species). Advanced Search empowers you to conduct cross-searches, encompassing taxonomical, geographical, and host-plant information. Finally, Search Reference allows you to search references by authors.
The database was originally developed by Alain Migeon (Email: alain.migeon<remove-this-part>@inrae<remove-this-part>.fr) from a work initiated by Jean Gutierrez. We encourage the users to read the homage to Jean Gutierrez available here.
We invite you to explore and utilize Spider Mites Web. This database is designed to serve the entire scientific community and is the result of collaboration with colleagues who generously shared their work. Its growth depends on the collective contributions of individuals like you, so we welcome your questions, comments, criticisms, and publications. Contact Alain Migeon at (Email: alain.migeon<remove-this-part>@inrae<remove-this-part>.fr).
We would like to extend our gratitude to H. Bolland, J. Gutierrez, and C.H.W. Flechtmann for their synthetic work published in 1998, the World Catalogue of the Spider Mite Family (Acari: Tetranychidae). Brill, Leiden, 392 pp., still essential. A heartfelt thank you goes out to Jean Gutierrez and Carlos H.W. Flechtmann for their invaluable guidance and support throughout this endeavor. Last but not least, we'd like to thank all the colleagues who have helped us in the past and continue to do so, by sending us the pdf files that are still missing pdf files that are still missing from the database, or their new publications.
Database last update: 12 June 2025
1363 valid species recorded
2190 references
19281 host records on 4131 different plants
9758 geographic distribution records
Spider Mites Web has a total of 1058 (03 June 2025) Google Scholar citations.
Some popular species
Tetranychus urticae
Tetranychus evansi
Aponychus corpuzae
