How to translate text using browser tools
4 February 2020 Polyplax brachyrrhyncha (Anoplura: Polyplacidae) and Rhipicephalus turanicus (Ixodidae: Rhipicephalinae) in an Ancient Louse Comb
Kosta Y. Mumcuoglu, Naama Sukenik, Guy Bar-Oz
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

A fine-toothed comb found in the Judean Desert and resembling an ancient louse comb was examined. Based on radiocarbon dating, it ranged between 1660 AD and 1950 AD. From the material accumulated between the teeth, an oribatid mite, a pseudoscorpion, exuviae of beetle larvae, a sucking louse (Polyplax brachyrrhyncha Cummings, 1915), as well as a fully engorged larva and a nymph of the ixodid tick Rhipicephalus turanicus Pomerantzev, 1936 were recorded. Additionally, the comb included numerous hairs of a spiny mouse (Acomys sp.). Although finding mites, beetle larvae, and a pseudoscorpion on a louse comb could be regarded as contamination, the findings of P. brachyrrhyncha, as well as of a larva and nymph of R. turanicus, are noteworthy. We hypothesize that the presence of animal lice and ticks could indicate some sort of pet grooming.

© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Kosta Y. Mumcuoglu, Naama Sukenik, and Guy Bar-Oz "Polyplax brachyrrhyncha (Anoplura: Polyplacidae) and Rhipicephalus turanicus (Ixodidae: Rhipicephalinae) in an Ancient Louse Comb," Journal of Medical Entomology 57(4), 1021-1024, (4 February 2020). https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjaa007
Received: 30 October 2019; Accepted: 6 January 2020; Published: 4 February 2020
JOURNAL ARTICLE
4 PAGES

This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
+ SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

KEYWORDS
Acomys sp.
louse comb
Polyplax brachyrrhyncha
Rhipicephalus turanicus
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top