Abacarus hystrix, commonly known as the cereal rust mite or grain rust mite, is a species of mite

Mite

Mites, along with ticks, are small arthropods belonging to the subclass Acari and the class Arachnida. The scientific discipline devoted to the study of ticks and mites is called acarology.-Diversity and systematics:...

 belonging to the family Eriophyidae. It feeds on various grass

Grass

Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...

es and is considered a serious pest of cereal

Cereal

Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...

 and hay

Hay

Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...

 crops both from the physical damage it causes and from being the vector of two viral diseases, Agropyron mosaic and Ryegrass mosaic.

This is a tiny white, yellow or orange mite, less than 1 mm in length. Adults are slender and have only 4 legs, all at the front of the body. Many generations can be produced in a single year: At a temperature of 20 °C, a newly laid egg

Egg (biology)

An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...

can become a sexually mature adult in just 16–18 days.