Occurrence of Ophionyssus natricis (Acari: Macronyssidae) on the captive corn snake, Pantherophis guttatus, (Squamata: Colubridae) in Turkey

Year 2021, Volume: 3 Issue: 2, 89 - 95, 31.07.2021

Adem Keskin

https://doi.org/10.47121/acarolstud.907114

Cited By: 2

Abstract

Exotic snakes may harbour numerous parasites and play an important role in the spreading of parasites. Ophionyssus natricis (Gervais) (Acari: Macronyssidae) has been found in natural conditions on a wide variety of snakes in Africa, but this mite has been distributed by exotic pet trade in various parts of the world. In the present study, O. natricis was reported on the captive corn snake, Pantherophis guttatus (L.) (Squamata: Colubridae), in Turkey, for the first time. Male and protonymph stage of O. natricis were also first time reported in Turkey. In addition, some setal variations in the pygidial shield of protonymphs were documented.

Keywords

Infestation, parasitic mites, pest animal, Reptilia

Thanks

I am grateful to Prof. Salih Doğan (Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University, Erzincan, Turkey) for his valuable comments on the manuscript.

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