Host‐specificity amongst arthropods ectoparasitic upon mammals and birds in the New Hebrides

1 Examination of 606 mammals of seventeen species and 959 birds of thirty‐three species yielded sixty‐three species or species groups of ectoparasitic arthropod. These included eighteen species of Acari, twenty‐five species or species groups of Phthiraptera, eighteen species of Diptera Pupipara, and two species of Siphonaptera. These are listed with their hosts and island localities, and host associations noted. 2 Host specificity amongst ectoparasitic insects is discussed, and the insects classified into four groups of decreasing specificity. 3 Several broad factors likely to encourage specificity are noted, and it is concluded that the wide diversity of specificity observed is caused by complex interaction of these factors.