Ecological features of permanent ectoparasites

There are more than 9000 species of permanent ectoparasites of terrestrial vertebrates among insects and acarines. Permanent ectoparasites spend entire life time or only part of their life cycle on and inside the skin, hairs and feathers of their hosts. Such ectoparasites feed on blood, lymph, products of dermal glands and particles of skin, hairs and feathers. Permanent ectoparasites can be characterized by the following features: often consumption of small amounts of food, small to moderate fecundity, short period of development of one generation, short life span and incapability to starvation for a long period of time. They infest new host individuals through the direct contact between hosts or by the phoretic way.