trombidium

Updated: May 17, 2025

The Trombidium tinctorum of Hermann is found about Aripo, and generally over the northern provinces, where after a shower of rain or heavy night's dew, they appear in countless myriads. It is about half an inch long, like a tuft of crimson velvet, and imparts its colouring matter readily to any fluid in which it may be immersed. It feeds on vegetable juices, and is perfectly innocuous.

Sir James Emerson Tennent - Sketches of the Natural History of Ceylon