Family ISCHNOPSYLLIDAE

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Introduction

The Ischnopsyllidae, commonly called bat fleas, occur worldwide. Some 122 species and subspecies in 20 genera and two subfamilies, Ischnopsyllinae and Thaumapsyllinae, have been described (Lewis & Lewis 1985; Lewis 1998). Hopkins & Rothschild (1956) reviewed the species and Medvedev (1985) arranged the ischnopsylline genera into five tribes. Only two of these tribes, Ischnopsyllini and Porribiini, are known from the Australian fauna. Of the four genera and seven species known from Australia, two genera and six species are endemic (Dunnet & Mardon 1991).

The genus Coorilla is endemic with three species, all recorded from molossid bats. Lagaropsylla includes some 16 species, found in the Afrotropical, Oriental and Australian regions on molossid and vespertilionid bats; only one species is found in Australia and this also occurs in Indonesia and the Philippines. The genus Porribius has four species, two of which are Australian endemics. These species also parasitise both molossid and vespertilionid bats. The monotypic Serendipsylla is endemic and is known only from the large endemic Ghost Bat, Macroderma gigas.

The Ischnopsyllidae are characterised as head fracticipit; eye more or less vestigial; genal ctenidium of two preoral, more or less blunt spines; pronotal ctenidium present; mesonotum with pseudosetae present under collar; metanotum with marginal spines or spinelets; tergum VII with single antesensilial seta each side.

General References

Dunnet, G.M. & Mardon, D.K. 1991. Siphonaptera (Fleas). pp. 705-716 in CSIRO (ed.). The Insects of Australia. A textbook for students and research workers. Melbourne : Melbourne University Press Vol. 2 pp. 543-1137.

Hopkins, G.H.E. & Rothschild, M. 1956. An Illustrated Catalogue of the Rothschild Collection of Fleas (Siphonaptera) in the British Museum (Natural History). London : British Museum Vol. 2 xi 445 pp. 32 pls.

Lewis, R.E. 1998. Résumé of the Siphonaptera (Insecta) of the World. Journal of Medical Entomology 35(4): 377-389 [Date published 31/July/1998]

Lewis, R.E. & Lewis, J.H. 1985. Notes on the geographical distribution and host preferences in the order Siphonaptera. Part 7. New taxa described between 1972 and 1983, with a supraspecific classification of the order. Journal of Medical Entomology 22: 134-152

Medvedev, S.G. 1985. Revision of the family Ischnopsyllidae (Siphonaptera). Parazitologiya 19(1): 14-26 [In Russian]

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