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Family DERMANYSSIDAE Kolenati, 1859

Introduction

The family Dermanyssidae includes two genera of blood-feeding parasites that attack birds and rodents (Lindquist et al. 2009). They are common in the nests and burrows of their hosts, where they can occur in very large numbers. The family includes the common poultry mite Dermanyssus gallinae, which is a serious pest of domestic poultry, and which also occurs in the nests of other species of birds, including sparrows and pigeons. It frequently invades houses and can cause painful skin irritation when it bites humans (Southcott 1976, 1978; Mullen & OConnor 2009). The Australian fauna of Dermanyssidae includes three species of Dermanyssus and three species of Liponyssoides, all of which are parasites of birds. Most of the species were included in the catalogue of Domrow (1988), but one more species in each genus has been added since that time. Unidentified species have been recorded by Tubb (1937), Richards (1971) and Lowry (1980).

 

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.
Published As part of group Action Date Action Type Compiler(s)
07-May-2013 07-May-2013 MODIFIED
06-Nov-2011 06-Nov-2011 MOVED
08-Aug-2010 08-Aug-2010 MOVED
09-Jul-2010 09-Jul-2010 ADDED
08-Jul-2010 MODIFIED