378 Acarology 



Key to the Listrophoridae 



1. Legs I and ii modified as claspers 2 

 Legs III and iv modified as claspers Myocoptinae 



Maxillae modified as claspers Listrophorinae 



2. Legs I and ii with caruncles, not highly modified, sometimes with 

 accessory claspers Atopomelinae 

 Legs I and ii without caruncles, highly modified, without accessory 

 claspers Labidocarpinae 



These mites are found in the hair of small to medium-sized mammals 

 and only rarely in the feathers of birds {Chirodiscus) . Myocoptes mus- 

 culinus (Koch) produces a type of mange on laboratory white mice 

 for which the name "Myocoptic mange" has been proposed. This spe- 

 cies is common throughout the world. A listrophorid mite likely to be 

 encountered is Chirodiscoides caviae Hirst which is attached to the 

 dorsal hairs of the guinea pig; the legs of this species are flattened to 

 grasp the hairs of the host. Labidocarpus nasicolus Lawrence has been 

 collected on the vibrissae on or near the nose leaf of the bat, each 

 being attached near the base of one of these tactile hairs. Lawrence 

 1938 says: "Like Myobia this mite is unable to move readily from 

 place to place on account of the remarkable modifications of its an- 

 terior legs. It seems probable therefore that it descends the hair to 

 which it is attached to feed on the secretions liberated by the seba- 

 ceous glands at its base. The nose leaf of Rhinolophus (bat) itself is 

 unusually well supplied with these fat secreting glands, enabling its 

 surface to be kept perpetually moist and thus more sensitive to cur- 

 rents of air. It is significant that these mites have hitherto been found 

 only on the nose-leaved group of bats of the suborder Microchiroptera. 

 Hexapod larvae have been observed in the body cavity of the ovigerous 

 female of Labidocarpus rollinati and L. nasicolus^ 



References: 



Gunther, C. 1942. Notes on the Listrophoridae (Acarina: Sarcoptoidea). 



Proc. Linn. Soc. N. S. Wales 67(3, 4) : 109-1 10. 

 Lawrence, R. F. 1938. A new acarine parasite of bats. Parasitol. 30(3): 



309-313. 

 . 1948. Studies on some parasitic mites from Canada and South 



Africa. J. Parasitol. 34(5) :364-379. 

 Womersley, H. 1943. Australian species of Listrophoridae Canest. (Aca- 

 . rina) with notes on the new genera. Trans. Roy. Soc. South Australia 



67(1):10-19. 



