Bat flea. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of an Ischnopsyllus octactenus flea. The two antennae-like structures (top) are sensory palps, a

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Bat flea. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of an Ischnopsyllus octactenus flea. The two antennae-like structures (top) are sensory palps, and below these are the mandibles, which are used to pierce the host's skin and suck blood. This flea lives on the common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus) bat. As a result of living on a nocturnal host the flea has no eyes. Magnification: x160 when printed 10 centimetres wide.

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Size: 3895px × 4512px
Photo credit: © EYE OF SCIENCE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: animal, animals, arthropod, arthropods, bat, biological, biology, blind, blood, close-, colored, coloured, common, detail, electron, entomological, entomology, false-colored, false-coloured, fauna, feeder, flea, head, host, insect, insects, invertebrate, invertebrates, ischnopsyllus, mandibles, micrograph, microscope, nature, nocturnal, octactenus, palp, palps, parasite, parasitic, pipistrelle, pipistrellus, scanning, sem, sensory, sucker, wildlife, zoological, zoology