Bark mites possessed eight limbs in total; they walked on six legs, and had two grasping arms with pincers. These beasts were herbivorous insects. They were usually docile but they could become aggressive when protecting their lair.
Races and subspecies included the bloodseeker mite, the forest mite and the wood mite.
During the Galactic Civil War, a colony of giants bark mites lived in a cave on the Nabooian moon of Rori. The creatures had discovered that the cave was damp and warm, making it a perfect nursery for their brood.
After the Battle of Yavin, Doctor Maldien conducted illegal and highly dangerous bioengineering experiments in a laboratory on Corellia to create very aggressive and intelligent creatures. This included engineered bark mites.
In 1 ABY, the hunter Sloan Rusper noticed that something in the water of Rori turned wild animals, including forest mites, into dangerous marauding beasts. He thus tasked a spacer to kill a deadly forest mite guardian that threatened the Restuss Arts Jubilee. The same year, the Sanyassan Marauder fightmaster Jorak ordered a spacer to kill a bloodseeker mite which was attacking the livestock of the Marauders on Endor.
Bark mites appeared in the 2003 video game Star Wars Galaxies, a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game developed by Sony Online Entertainment and published by LucasArts, prior to its closure on December 15, 2011.
- Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided Quick Reference Guide
- Star Wars Galaxies: The Total Experience: Prima Official Game Guide
- Star Wars Galaxies: The Complete Guide: Prima Official Game Guide