Suborder ANOPLURA

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Introduction

The suborder Anoplura comprises 15 families, 39 genera and 532 species, all of which parasitise mammals exclusively (Durden & Musser, 1994). The suborder apparently is monophyletic and is the sister group of the Rhyncophthirina, lice that are found on elephants and the African wart-hogs (Lyal 1985).

Durden & Musser (1994) reviewed the Anoplura and provided an extensive list of synonyms. Much of the information presented in the Catalogue was drawn from this review; one of the authors is a mammalogist and thus the verity of the host identifications is accepted. Only the post-1930 synonyms are listed in the Catalogue. Durden & Musser (1994) list numerous early synonyms, including those of the numerous subspecies.

Anoplura, or sucking lice, are distinguished from other lice in Australia by the following features: absence of mandibles; head with mouth parts developed into an unjointed more or less pointed beak, or rounded anteriorly.

Seven families of Anoplura are present in Australia; five of these were introduced with people and domestic mammals and are restricted to those hosts. Species from the remaining two families parasitise native rodents and seals. A key to the anopluran families in Australia was given by Calaby & Murray (1991). Roberts' (1952) earlier key to the species of lice of domestic animals in Australia is instructive, although it relies considerably on the identity of the species of host for identification of the lice. Arundel & Sutherland (1988) provided an account of the biology, pathology and control of Anoplura of sheep, cattle goats and horses.

General References

Arundel, J.H. & Sutherland, A.K. 1988. Ectoparasitic Diseases of Sheep, Cattle, Goats and Horses. Animal Health in Australia. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 10 vii 178 pp.

Calaby, J.H. & Murray, M.D. 1991. Phthiraptera. pp. 421-428 in CSIRO (ed.). The Insects of Australia. A textbook for students and research workers. Melbourne : Melbourne University Press Vol. 1 xiii 542 pp.

Durden, L.A. & Musser, G.G. 1994. The sucking lice (Insecta, Anoplura) of the world: a taxonomic checklist with records of mammalian hosts and geographical distributions. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 218: 1-90

Lyal, C.H.C. 1985. A cladistic analysis and classification of trichodectid mammal lice (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Entomology 51: 1-346

Roberts, D.W. & Strand, M.A. 1977. Pathogens of medically important arthropods. Bulletin of the World Health Organisation 55(Suppl. 1): 1-419

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