Sarcoptes mites are [[Burrowing Mites|burrowing mites]] of dogs and foxes. They Cause [[Sarcoptic Mange]].
Sarcoptes mites are [[Burrowing Mites|burrowing mites]] of dogs and foxes. They Cause [[Sarcoptic Mange]].
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==Recognition==
==Recognition==
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*Small, round mite
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*Short legs
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**Project only a short distance from body margin
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*Dorsal spines
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**Arranged in rows
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*Terminal anus
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*Male is about 250μm in length and the female about 400-430μm in length
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Sarcoptes mites are small, round mites. They have short legs that project only a short distance from the body margin. They have dorsal spines arranged in rows and a terminal anus. The male mites are about 250μm in length and the females are about 400-430μm in length.
==Life cycle==
==Life cycle==
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*'''3 week''' life cycle
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*Female lays eggs in epidermis in an '''egg laying pocket'''
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*Female feeds on liquid oozing from damaged tissue
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*The eggs hatch in 1 week
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*'''6 legged''' larvae released which crawl to skin surface
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*The larvae then burrow back into the epidermis into '''moulting pockets'''
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*Larvae moult to become '''8 legged''' nymphs
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*Nymphs moult twice before becoming adults
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*Adult males emerge and look for females to mate
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Sarcoptes mites have a '''3 week''' life cycle. The female lays eggs in the epidermis in an '''egg laying pocket'''. The female feeds on liquid oozing from damaged tissue. The eggs then hatch in 1 week and '''6 legged''' larvae are released. They crawl to skin surface and then burrow back into the epidermis into '''moulting pockets'''.
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The larvae moult to become '''8 legged''' nymphs. The nymphs moult twice before becoming adults. Adult males then emerge and look for females to mate