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| Insects of Britain and Ireland: the families of Diptera |
Bat-lice.
Life style parasitic (and highly specialised, cf. Hippoboscidae); on bats.
Adult insects. Wingless. Antennae 2 segmented; ‘modified’; with a non-annulated terminal segment; ‘terminated by bristles inserted on tubercles’ - Imms. Ptilinal suture clearly defined. Ocelli absent. Mouthparts functional; adapted for piercing (for blood-sucking). The maxillary palps 1 segmented; porrect. Thorax with the dorsal suture continuous across the middle; with well defined posterior calli. Hind tibiae with strong bristles in the basal 4/5. Parasitic (being highly specialised, blood-sucking ectoparasites of bats).
Larvae and pupae. The larvae developing within the mother, being nourished via a greatly developed ‘acessory gland’, before leaving to pupate (finally pupating on the ground or in the abode of the host); acephalic. The pupae enclosed within a puparium.
Classification. Suborder Brachycera; Division Muscomorpha Schizophora Calyptratae; Superfamily Hippoboscoidea.
British representation. 3 species in Britain. Genera 3; Basilia, Nycteribia, Pthiridium.
Illustrations. • Nycteribida and Phthiridium: from Walker. HIPPOBOSCIDAE. 1, Hippobosca equina, with details of head from the front (1a), antenna (1b), front of head from the side (1c), labrum, with lingua and labium and the muscular base by which they are protruded (1d), and one of the halteres (1e). 2 and 4, Lipotena cervi. 3, Ornithomyia avicularia, with details of antenna (3a), and tarsal claws (3b). 5, Crataerina pallida. 5a and 5b, Sternepteryx hirundinis, antenna and wing respectively. 6, Melophagus ovinus, with details of head from beneath (6a), and antenna (6b). NYCTERIBIDAE. 7, Phthiridium biarticulartum; 7a, the same, with head (h) thrown back in the normal position; 7b, the thorax and abdomen from beneath; 7c and 7d, the same, showing abdomen from the side (7c) and the porrected head from the side (7d). 7e and 7f, Nycteribia kolenatii: abdomen from above (7e), and thorax and abdomen from below (7e). From Walker (1853, Plate XX), with approximate lengths of insects (front of head to tip of abdomen) added. • Nycteribia kolenatii (Small Bat-louse: B. Ent. 277). • Nycteribia kolenatii (detail, dissections: B. Ent. 277). • Nycteribia kolenatii (B. Ent. 277, legend+text). • Nycteribia kolenatii (text, cont.: B. Ent. 277).
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. Insects of Britain and Ireland: the families of Diptera. Version: 14th April 2022. delta-intkey.com’.
