Family DERMANYSSIDAE Kolenati, 1859

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• Dermanyssida Kolenati, F.A. 1859. Beiträge zur Kenntniss der Arachniden. Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien, Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Classe 35: 155-190 pls I-VIII.

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).

General References

Domrow, R. 1988. Acari Mesostigmata parasitic on Australian vertebrates: an annotated checklist, keys and bibliography. Invertebrate Taxonomy 1: 817-948

Lindquist, E.E., Krantz, G.W. & Walter, D.E. 2009. Order Mesostigmata. pp.124-232 in Krantz, G.W. & Walter, D.E. (eds). A Manual of Acarology. Lubbock, Texas : Texas Tech University Press Third edition, 807 pp.

Lowry, J.W.J. 1980. Ecological Relationships of Western Australian Cavernicoles. MSc. Thesis, School of Zoology, University of New South Wales. Vol. 1 367 pp., Vol. 2 204 pp. + appendices

Mullen, G.R. & OConnor, B.M. 2009. Mites (Acari). pp. 433-492 in Mullen, G.R. & Durden, L.A. Medical and Veterinary Entomology. Amsterdam : Elsevier 2.

Richards, A.M. 1971. An ecological study of the cavernicolous fauna of the Nullarbor Plain, southern Australia. Journal of Zoology, London 164: 1-60

Southcott, R.V. 1976. Arachnidism and allied syndromes in the Australian region. Records of the Adelaide Children's Hospital 1: 97-186

Southcott, R.V. 1978. Australian Harmful Arachnids and Their Allies. Mitcham, South Australia : R. V. Southcott 36 pp.

Tubb, J.A., 1937. Arachnida. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 49: 412-419

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