Shown here is one of New Zealand's most unique and charismatic parrot species: the kākāpō, threatened with extinction by the introduction of invasive species. But the decline of this parrot also includes the decline of its unique parasites, tracked over almost 800 years.

⚡Shocking truth⚡ about fish lice:
I've written a post about Dolops discoidalis, a species of fish louse which also happens to be the first ectoparasite to be documented from the electric eel 🧪
#Invertebrate
dailyparasite.blogspot.com/2025/10/dolo...

Rhinos are some of the most beautiful and unique land animals on the planet, and the same can be said of the Gyrostigma bot flies that have adapted to them. These parasites spend most of their lives as larvae in the digestive tract of their hosts, only emerging to pupate, mate, and die. (1/6)

You probably have a general idea of what a tick looks like, but did you know that there are three distinct families of ticks, each with their own appearance, habitat, and adaptations? These families are the Ixodidae (or hard ticks), Argasidae (or soft ticks), and the Nuttalliellidae. (1/4)

Crouching Parrot, Hidden Louse:
The Kyloring (Pezoporus flaviventris) is a critically endangered species of Australian parrot, and it is host to Forficuloecus pezopori - a species of louse which lives only on the Kyloring and nowhere else.
#Invertebrate 🧪
dailyparasite.blogspot.com/2024/06/forf...

The bat flies (families Nycteribiidae and Streblidae) are an unusual group of parasitic flies that ride along with (and feed on) bats, usually being found attached to their hosts. But just as they receive sustenance their hosts, they are also vulnerable to whatever threats their hosts face. (1/3)

Just this month, a team including Specialist Group co-chair Mackenzie Kwak reported the rediscovery of the Plain Thorny-headed Flea (Acanthopsylla saphes), once feared extinct and in dire threat from the decline of its hosts!
Link: doi.org/10.1007/s108...
#conservation #parasite #flea #parasitology

Hello, Bluesky! We're the IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group, a part of the Species Survival Commission! We're just starting to understand the important roles parasites play in their ecosystems, and our goal is to determine the threats wildlife parasites face and to conserve rare and unique species!