NON-INDIGENOUS ACARI OF ANTARCTICA AND THE SUB-ANTARCTIC ISLANDS

Approximately 70 species out of a total of more than 520 Acari recorded from Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic islands may originate from other continents, especially Australasia, South America and Europe, Although some species have probably been carried into the region on migrant birds, most may have been introduced as a result of human activity, in particular by whalers and sealers. The majority of species appear to originate from imported sheep, rabbits, rats and fowl, and a few from vegetation, soil and ship's stores.