In about 3 days it molts to the protonymph and acquires a 4th pair of legs. With each molt the red mite increases in size. The entire life cycle can be completed in as short as 3 weeks during the summer, but development may take 5 or more weeks in the winter. A long-established pest in Texas orchards, the Texas citrus mite is readily visible with the unaided eye. The adult female and nymphal stages are ovate, brownish-green, with irregular dark green spots near the lateral body margins.
Bristles are short and inconspicuous on the shiny body.
The adult male is smaller than the female, triangular shaped and has 4 pairs of long tan-colored legs. Texas citrus mite prefer the upper leaf surface and are most numerous near the mid-rib and along the leaf margins. The first indication of mite feeding injury are minute chlorotic spots that gradually coalesce making the leaf appear 'silvered'. Severe infestations tan cause leaf mesophyll collapse and result in defoliation, particularly from dry or water-stressed trees. Defoliation due to Texas citrus mite is generally most severe in early fall.