Haematopinus oliveri (English common name : Pygmy Hog Sucking Louse ) is an ectoparasite , the only three female specimens and a nymph has become known from the year 1977th The blood-sucking pork louse was found in the fur of dwarf wild boars ( Sus salvanius ) from Darrang in northwestern Assam . The specimens had a length of 3.9 to 4.2 mm. Itdiffersfrom the other 22 species of the genus Haematopinus by the relatively short head and the shape of the sternum plate. It is unclear whether this louse survived in the wild, as the dwarf wild boar was once thought to be almost extinct and the disappearance of the host could lead to the complete extinction of the louse population. Haematopinus oliveri has not yet been detectedin dwarf wild pigs in human care. The species is listed as " critically endangered " onthe IUCN Red List.
literature
SM Wells, RM Pyle & NM Collins: IUCN Invertebrate Red Data Book . International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, 1983. ISBN 2880326028
