Arthropods Flashcards
What are the characteristics of Class Insecta?
Have a head with mouthparts, a thorax, and abdomen
What are the characteristics of the the Order Diptera?
Have one pair of wings. Those that are ectoparasites serve as vectors for many pathogens and intermediate hosts for parasites.
What is the difference between facultative myiasis and obligatory myiasis?
In facultative myiasis, flies use contaminated wounds to deposit eggs instead of garbage, feces, or carrion. They do not need to use tissue.
In obligatory myiasis, the fly larvae must develop in living tissue, such as organs, uncontaminated wounds, or other soft tissue.
What are the characteristics of Anopheline mosquitoes?
Eggs- single eggs with floats
Larva- lay parallel to water surface, no air tube
Pupa- short air tube
Adults- rest at an angle to the host
What are the characteristics of Culicine mosquitoes?
Eggs- single eggs on dry surface or rafts on water surface
Larva- at angle to water surface, short air tube
Pupa- variable or long/slender air tube
Adults- rest parallel to host
For what pathogen are Anopheline mosquitoes vectors?
Plasmodium spp.
For what pathogens are Culicine mosquitoes vectors?
Yellow fever, Dengue fever, and West Nile Encephalitis
In what environment would you find larvae from the Family Tabanidae? What is the common name for members of this family?
Aquatic environment
Horse and deer flies
Horse and deer flies serve as intermediate hosts for which parasites?
Trypanosoma theileri and *Elaeophora schneideri *
Horse and deer flies serve as vectors for which pathogens?
Anaplasma spp., anthrax, equine infectious anemia
What is the common name of Stomoxys calcitrans?
The stable fly
What are the hosts of Stomoxys calcitrans?
Large domestic animals, dogs, humans
Stomoxys calcitrans is a mechanical vector for which pathogens?
Various bacteria, equine infectious anemia, Habronema muscae, Trypanosoma evansi
What are the characteristics of lice?
Small, wingless, dorsoventrally flattened body with crab-like legs
Have simple metamorphosis
Permanent ectoparasite, stenoxenous
To which order do chewing lice belong? How can you distinguish them from sucking lice?
Order Mallophaga
Head is wider than the body
To which order do sucking lice belong? How can you distinguish them from chewing lice?
Order Anoplura
Head narrower than body
What are the hosts of lice in the order Mallophaga?
Various species infect either birds or mammals
What are the hosts of lice in the order Anoplura?
Various species infect mammals only
What is the common name given to organisms within the Order Siphonaptera? What are their characteristics?
Fleas
Laterally compressed, may have genal or pronotal combs
Complete metamorphosis?
What are some problems caused by siphonapterosis (flea infestation)?
Irritation and restlessness
Anemia, flea allergy dermatitis
Fleas serve as vectors for plague and tularemia; intermediate hosts for Dipylidium caninum, Hymenolepis nana, and Dipetalonema reconditum
How can one microscopically determine if a flea is male or female?
Presence of a spermatheca used to hold sperm in females
What is the common name of members of the Order Acarina? What are their characteristics?
All stages feed on blood
Have simple metamorphosis
Why can a tick’s life cycle take anywhere from six weeks to three years to complete?
Tick life cycles may require one, two, or three hosts.
What are the two methods for disease transmission in ticks?
Transstadial- pathogen is in the larval or nymph stage and remains through molts
Transovarial- adult ticks transfer pathogen to eggs
What is tick paralysis?
An ascending, flaccid paralysis caused by a neurotoxin in tick saliva- the toxin disrupts synapses in the spinal cord
What is the basic body plan of ticks?
Capitulum- head with mouthparts consisting of a hypostome and palps
Idiosoma- fused cephalothorax and abdomen
May have a scutum that partially or completely covers idiosoma and festoons at the edge of idiosoma.
What is the common name of organisms in the Family Argasidae? What are their characteristics?
Soft ticks
Look like puffy raisins
Do not engorge or have visible mouthparts
What is the common name of organisms in the Family Ixodidae? What are their characteristics?
Hard ticks
Permanent ectoparasites, engorge, have visible mouthparts
What is the common name of Rhipichephalus sanguineus?
Brown dog tick
What type of life cycle does Rhipicephalus sanguineus have? What are the hosts it uses?
Three host tick, mainly uses dogs for all three stages
Rhipicephalus sanguineus serves as a vector for which pathogens?
Hepatazoon canis, Babesia canis, Ehrlichia canis
