Tetranychidae

plural noun

Tet·​ra·​nych·​i·​dae

ˌte‧trəˈnikəˌdē

: a family of medium-sized soft-bodied mites that have the movable chela of each chelicera modified into a long piercing organ, tenent hairs on the claws, and no genital suckers, that feed on plants and usually spin silken webs over the foliage, and that comprise the economically important red spiders

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Tetranychus, type genus + -idae

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