New Zealand bat flea
| New Zealand bat flea | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Siphonaptera |
| Family: | Ischnopsyllidae |
| Genus: | Porribius |
| Species: | P. pacificus |
| Binomial name | |
| Porribius pacificus Jordan, 1946[2] | |
The New Zealand bat flea (Porribius pacificus) is a threatened species of flea endemic to New Zealand. The species was first described in 1946 from samples collected near Masterton in 1915, and from chocolate wattled bats on Pelorus Island.[2]
It is adapted to living with the New Zealand long-tailed bat; like this bat species, the flea's closest relatives are in Australia, and its ancestor is likely to have colonised New Zealand from Australia with its host within the last 2 million years.[3] It has also been recorded as living on the New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat, but these occurrences are thought to be accidental.[4]
Conservation status
The New Zealand bat flea was given the conservation status of "Nationally Vulnerable" by the Department of Conservation in 2015.[1]
References
- 1 2 Heath, Allen C.G.; Stringer, I. A. N.; Hitchmough, Rod A.; Rolfe, Jeremy (2015). "Conservation status of New Zealand fleas, 2014" (PDF). New Zealand Threat Classification Series. 12: 1–5. ISSN 2324-1713.
- 1 2 Jordan, H.E.K. (1946). "On a new genus and species of bat-fleas from the Pelorus Islands and New Zealand". Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 76: 208–210.
- ↑ Meduna, Veronika (2007). "Bats - Lesser short-tailed bats and long-tailed bats". Te Ara – Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
- ↑ Smit, F.G.A.M. (1979). "The Fleas of New Zealand". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 9: 143–232. doi:10.1080/03036758.1979.10419413.
External links
- Porribius pacificus discussed on RNZ Critter of the Week, 1 October 2021