[Harvest mite Neotrombicula autumnalis in the Leipzig area]

The paper describes an isolated population of the plague-causing harvest mite, Neotrombicula autumnalis autumnalis (Trombiculidae) in the Leipzig area. The focus has an area of about 20 km2 and extends from the eastern outskirts of the city to the built-up sections with a strong anthropogenic impact. It seems to have existed within these limits for at least five decades, with some variation in space and time. The surrounding area is free from Neotrombicula autumnalis, except for two unstable and temporary small populations 7 and 14 km away, respectively. The leipzig population of harvest mites does not prefer river courses, and it does not settle in valley plains with wet soils and woods nor does it prefer the margins of stagnant waters.