Uropsylla tasmanica
| Uropsylla tasmanica | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Siphonaptera |
| Family: | Pygiopsyllidae |
| Genus: | Uropsylla |
| Species: | U. tasmanica
|
| Binomial name | |
| Uropsylla tasmanica Rothschild, 1905
| |
Uropsylla tasmanica is a species of flea in the insect order Siphonaptera endemic to Australia.[1][2][3] It belongs to the subfamily Uropsyllinae that is placed in the family Pygiopsyllidae.[4]
Uropsylla tasmanica occurs in Tasmania, New South Wales, Victoria, southern Western Australia,[1] and southern Queensland.[3] They are known to feed on marsupials, most notably dasyurid such as Tasmanian devils and quolls, and have been suggested to live on the now-extinct Tasmanian tiger.[2][5]
Its lifecycle is unique among fleas - adults cement eggs to the hairs of host, then, once hatched, the larvae live subcutaneously, consuming subdermal host tissue.[2][3][6]
References
- ^ a b "Species Uropsylla tasmanica Rothschild, 1905". Australian Faunal Directory. Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
- ^ a b c Kwak, Mackenzie; Madden, Claire; Wicker, Leanne (2017). "The first record of the native flea Acanthopsylla rothschildi Rainbow, 1905 (Siphonaptera: Pygiopsyllidae) from the endangered Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii Boitard, 1841), with a review of the fleas associated with the Tasmanian devil". Australian Entomologist. 44: 293–296.
- ^ a b c Nelson, L.; Bridger, M.; Turner, S. (2018). "Endoparasitic flea larvae of Uropsylla tasmanica (Siphonaptera: Pygiopsyllidae) infest spotted-tailed quolls in southern Queensland". Memoirs of the Queensland Museum – Nature. 61: 68–69. doi:10.17082/j.2204-1478.61.2018.2018-07.
- ^ Biosecurity Sciences Laboratory Qld; Nelson, Leanne; Bridger, M.; Turner, S. (2020-01-20). "Endoparasitic flea larvae of Uropsylla tasmanica (Siphonaptera: Pygiopsyllidae) infest spotted-tailed quolls in southern Queensland". Memoirs of the Queensland Museum - Nature. 61: 68–69. doi:10.17082/j.2204-1478.61.2018.2018-07.
- ^ Green, R. H. (1993). "The Fleas of Tasmania" (PDF).
- ^ Pearse, Anne-Marie (1981). "Aspects of the biology of Uropsylla tasmanica Rothschild (Siphonaptera)". Master's Dissertation.