188 RECORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



The tSarcoptida? are white, semi-globose ; the body entire ; 

 surface transversely striated and provided with a few bristles, 

 often short, stout and sharp-pointed ; legs short and arranged in 

 two groujjs, and of these the posterior pairs ai'e usually the 

 shorter ; the tarsi usually terminate with a sharp claw and a long 

 pedicellate sucker ; the claw or sucker may, however, be absent 

 and in place thereof there may be a long bristle : the beak is pro- 

 minent and the palpi small and three-jointed, and lie closely 

 pressed to the sides of the beak beneath. 



The female Sarcoptid burrows into the skin of its host, de 

 positing its eggs as it goes. On hatching out, the young, which 

 are six-legged, start burrowing on their own account, so that 

 the sufierei- may be affected in patches. The cunicidi or burrows 

 are close to the surface, so that as the epidermis loosens scaly 

 effects are produced. The irritation produced causes vesicles or 

 pustules to occur, and these may become ulcerated by sci'atching. 

 When the female has completed the task of depositing her eggs, 

 she dies at the end of her burrow. The pi'esence of Sarcoptids on 

 the lower animals is the cause of what is popularly known as mange. 

 The latter disease is common enough on dogs and cats ; it oc- 

 casionally occurs on horses and sheep, but no cases are on lecord 

 in respect of cattle ; pigs, too, I am informed by Mr. J. D, 

 Stewart, Government Veterinary Surgeon, are in New South 

 Wales at any rate, free from Sarcoptid troubles, and I believe I 

 am correct in saying that the same remark applies to the other 

 States. 



Genus NoTOKDRES Raill 



NOTOEDRES CATI, Heriiig. 



Notoedres cati, Hering, N. Acta. Ac. Leop., xviii.. 1838, p. 605, 

 pi. xliv., f. 9, 10. 



Sarcoptes cati, Hering, Joe. cit. 



Sarcoptes cati, Neum., Parasites and Parasitic Diseases of Domes- 

 ticated Animals (Fleming trans.), 1892, p. 125, f. 72 and p. 

 208. 



Sarcoptes notoedres, var. cati, Megn., Paras., 1880, p. 174. 



Xotedrus cati, Canest., Prosp. Acarof., vi., 1894, p. 752. 



JVotedrus cati, Berl., Acari. Myriap. Scorp. Italia, fasc. 79, (2), 

 1896. 



Sarcoptes minor, Fiirstenb., Kratzm., 1861, p. 215, pi. 8. 



Jlosts. — Cats, rabbits. 



Hah. — Europe, Australia (introduced). 



