Myobia musculi is a type of fur mite which is found worldwide.[1] It can infest mice and, rarely, other rodents.[2] Like all mites the Myobia musculi mite has four pairs of legs but the first pair are very short, as an adaptation to grasping the hair shaft, giving the mite the appearance of having three pairs of legs.[3] The second pair of legs end in empodia (claw-like structures).[4] Adult mites are approximately 160–180 μm wide; females are 400–500 μm long, and males are 280–320 μm long.[4]
| Myobia musculi | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Trombidiformes |
| Family: | Myobiidae |
| Genus: | Myobia |
| Species: | M. musculi
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| Binomial name | |
| Myobia musculi (Schranck, 1781)
| |
The lifecycle of M. musculi takes 23 days.[3] Eggs are laid on a hair shaft, so hairless mice cannot become infested.[3] The mites are generally found on the head, neck and shoulders of the mouse.[5]
References edit
- ^ Wall, Richard; Shearer, David (2008). "Myobia musculi". Veterinary Ectoparasites Biology, Pathology & Control (2nd ed.). Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. p. 50. ISBN 9780470680223.
- ^ Sanford H. Feldman & Abraham M. Ntenda (2011). "Phylogenetic analysis of Myobia musculi (Schranck, 1781) by using the 18S small ribosomal subunit sequence". Comparative Medicine. 61 (6): 484–491. PMC 3236689. PMID 22330574.
- ^ a b c Pritchett-Corning, KR; Clifford, CB (2012). "Chapter 3.4: Parasitic infections of laboratory mice. External parasites of laboratory mice". In Hedrich, Hans J. (ed.). The laboratory mouse (2nd ed.). Amsterdam: Academic. pp. 512–515. ISBN 9780123820082.
- ^ a b Hendrix, CM; Robinson, E (2016). Diagnostic Parasitology for Veterinary Technicians (5th ed.). Elsevier Health Sciences. p. 249. ISBN 9780323389815.
- ^ Barthold, SW; Griffey, SM; Percy, DH (2016). "Ectoparasitic infestations: Fur mite infestations: Acariasis". Pathology of Laboratory Rodents and Rabbits (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons. pp. 86–87. ISBN 9781118924044.
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