Family SPINTURNICIDAE Oudemans, 1901

Museums

Regional Maps

• Spinturnicinae Oudemans, A.C. 1901. Notes on Acari. Third series. Tijdschrift der Nederlandsche Dierkundige Vereeniging 7: 50-88 pls I-III.

Introduction

The Spinturnicidae is a family of ectoparasites that occur exclusively on bats. The family was comprehensively reviewed by Rudnick (1960), who recognised seven genera and 37 species, but many more new taxa have been described since that time. Different genera of Spinturnicidae are found on insectivorous and fruit-feeding bats (Domrow 1972). Although these mites are parasites, they do not appear to be associated with any significant pathology in their hosts. Some species can move freely on the wing membranes of their hosts, and others are found with their mouthparts embedded in their host's skin (Domrow 1972). The Australian fauna of four genera and nine species was catalogued by Domrow (1988).

General References

Domrow, R. 1972. Acari Spinturnicidae from Australia and New Guinea. Acarologia 13: 552-584

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

Rudnick A. 1960. A revision of the mites of the family Spinturnicidae (Acarina). University of California Publications in Entomology 17: 157-284

History of changes