rust-mite

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. One of certain mites of the family Phytoptidæ, or gall-mites, which do not produce galls properly speaking, but live in a rust-like substance which they produce upon the leaves or fruit of certain plants. Many of these rusts have been described by botanists as rust-fungi. Phytoptus oleivorus is the rust-mite of the orange, which produces the brownish discoloration often noticed on oranges.