Occurrence of the introduced snake mite, Ophionyssus natricis (Gervais, 1844), in the wild in Australia

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.