Hello everyone, I’m working with house dust mites and I’ve encountered a morphologically distinct individual in my culture. The key feature I noticed is the presence of specialized striations on the lower half of the body, which are not seen in the majority of other individuals. I’m unsure if this trait is sex-specific, or if it could indicate a different species or developmental stage.

I’ve attached an image (under microscope) showing the striated region. Could anyone with expertise in acarology or dust mite taxonomy help me with:

• Possible genus/species ID
• Any references or keys I could consult to narrow down the ID