THE ANIMAL PARASITES OF MAN 



grass plots, on trees and bushes in masses ; they regularly at- 

 tacked persons, mammals and birds, tormenting their hosts in a 

 terrible manner. 1 



5. Fam. Gamasidcz (Coleopterous mites). 



Chelicerae sheer-like or piercing ; pedipalpi filiform ; the legs are com- 

 posed of six segments with two terminal ungues and a bladder-like sucking 

 disc [caruncle, F. V. T.]. Stigmata situated between the third and fourth 

 pairs of legs ; the cuticle thickened, leather-like, no eyes ; the larvae have 

 six legs. 



Dermanyssus gallince. (de Geer), 1778. 



Syn. : Pulex gallincB, Redi, 1674 ; Acarus gallince, de Geer, 1778 ; 

 Dermanyssus avium, Duges, 1834. 



The male measures 0*6 mm. in length by 0*32 mm. in breadth ; 

 the female 07 075 mm. in length by 0-4 mm. in breadth. The 

 body is somewhat pear-shaped ; the colour whitish, reddish, or red- 

 dish-black, according to the contents of the intestine. The legs are 

 fairly short and strong. During the day they live concealed in 

 the nests, cracks, &c., of the hen-house, and at night attack the 

 inmates in order to suck their blood ; they rarely remain long on 

 the birds. They have been repeatedly found on persons, on 

 whose skin they produce an itching eruption. 2 



Dermanyssus hirundinis (Hermann), 1804. 

 Syn. : Acarus hirundinis , Herm., 1804. 



Of a brownish- violet colour, 1*2 or 1*4 mm. in length ; lives 

 in the nest of swallows and is occasionally found on man. 3 



[The Red Hen Mite (Dermanyssus gallina) not only attacks 

 poultry and man, as stated above, but is found on all birds and 



1 Moniez, R., Les Paras, de I'homme, Paris, 1889, p. 129; "Hist. nat. du Tydeus 

 molestus." (Rev. biol. Nord de la France, 1893-94, vi., p. 419). 



2 Alt, Ch. H., De phthiriasi. Diss. in. Bonnce, 1824; Simon, G., Die Hautkrkh. 

 durch anat. Unters. erl., 2nd edit., Berlin, 1851, p. 320; Itzigsohn, H., " Pathol. Bas,a- 

 tellen. /. Psora dermanyssica" (Virchow's Arch., 1858, xv., p. 166) ; Judee, " Sur 

 un nouveau paras, de la peau chez I'homme " (C. R. soc. biol., Paris, 1867, iv., p. 73) ; 

 Wagner, A., Ueb. d. York. v. Derman. avium b. Mensch. In. Disc. Greifswald, 1873 ; 

 Geber, E., In Ziemssen's Handb. d. spec. Path. u. Ther., 1884, xiv. [2], p. 394) ; Blan- 

 chard, R., " Not sur les par. de I'homme. 2 Ser. II. Nouv. cas de Derm, gallince dans 

 I'esp. hum." (C. R. soc. biol., Paris [10], 1894, i., p. 460). 



3 Die Cartenlaube, 1863, p. 23. 



