Abstract
The snake mite, Ophionyssus natricis (Acari: Macronyssidae), occurs in many parts of the world and is of animal and human health significance. In Australia Op. natricis is considered an introduced species in parts of coastal eastern and southern Australia and is thought to be absent in the wild. Herein we report on the occurrence of Op. natricis in Adelaide and a rural locality in South Australia on lizards from the genus Tiliqua. We also review previous records of this mite species based on published reports and the examination of museum specimens. The results show that the snake mite has been collected on wild hosts at several localities in at least two states and is therefore not restricted to reptiles in captivity.
Highlights
Of all the mite species that are known to infest reptiles, one of the most problematic is the snake mite, Ophionyssus natricis (Gervais, 1844) because it is of animal and human health significance
Case 1 — On 19 September 2017, seven sleepy lizards (Tiliqua rugosa) were collected from a study site surrounding the Bundey Lutheran Church ruins, ca. 130 km north-northeast of Adelaide City, in a pastoral district in the mid north region of South Australia
Our record of Op. natricis from the mid-north of South Australia shows that this parasite is present on wild populations of T. rugosa and that it has become naturalized in the wild in Australia
Summary
Of all the mite species that are known to infest reptiles, one of the most problematic is the snake mite, Ophionyssus natricis (Gervais, 1844) because it is of animal and human health significance. Ophionyssus natricis was originally described from specimens taken from snakes in a zoo in Europe and was subsequently collected from areas around Paris and Rome (Gervais, 1844) It has subsequently been reported in many parts of the world from captive snakes and lizards in zoo collections and the pet trade, and even a few instances from reptiles in the wild (Yunker, 1956; Goldberg and Bursey, 1991; Miranda et al, 2017), which indicates that it is spread via the movement of animals.
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