A SY,\01'SIS OF AUSTKALIAN ACARINA — RAINBOW. 187 



Family LISTROPHORID^. 



Only one species of tliis small family has been recorded from 

 the Australian region, and that from Tasmania. These parasites 

 live upon small mammals, including bats. They are small, the 

 body usually tapering a little posteriorly, legs widely separated, 

 sometimes — accoi'ding to those who have studied the family — 

 each pair is at an equal distance from the adjoining ones ; dorsally 

 there are a few short hairs with longer ones at the tip ; the surface 

 is usually transversely striate, and the rostrum or beak forms a 

 distinct cone on the front of the head ; palpi simple, filiform, 

 three-jointed ; mandibles veiy small, commonly chelate ; genital 

 apertures situate between third and fourth coxte ; anus at tip of 

 body. Males invariably differently shaped to females and pro- 

 vided with a pair of copulatory suckers near tip of venter.-^ 



The Listrophoridte feed on the hairs of their hosts. 



GcnUH CAAfPYLOCHIRUS, Ttouph 



Campylociiirus chelopus, Troues. 



Campylochirus chflopns, Troues., Compt. Rend. 8oe. Biol., xlv., 

 1893, p. 699. 



Host. — Opossum (Fseu'lochims cooki, Desm.). 



Hah. — Tasmania. 



Finnlji 8ARC0PTID.i\ 



This family includes a numljer of species whicli are, unquestion- 

 ably, the most disgusting of the entire Acarid Group. These 

 microscopic animals are notorious for their parasitism on the 

 Imman subject and domesticated animals, causing intense 

 physical suffering and often great monetary loss. HarcopUa 

 scahvd, Geer, is unfortunately common in Australia, and 

 affects human beings. It is responsible for what is probably 

 one of the oldest skin diseases known. The Greeks called 

 it if/Mpa (from i/'w, I rub) and the ancient Romans .scabies 

 (from scahi'i-i', to scratch). Tn England it is itrli, scald, ijuck 

 (mark(jp,) ; (jale in France ; K7-dfze and Krdtzaasschlay in Ger- 

 many ; scabia, roc/na and raspa in Italy ; and sarna, ro/la in 

 Spain. Speaking more accurately, scabies is known to medical 

 science as acariasis. The history of the disease is a most in- 

 teresting one which the reader may peruse for himself.*' 



■^'•^ Banks — Loc. cit., p. 94. 



'•^^ Neumann — Para-sites and Parasitic Diseases ol" Domesticated Animals, 

 traTislated by George Fleming, London, 189?, pp. 112-116. 



