title: Some observations on egg production and autoreinfection of Reighardia sternae (Diesing, 1864), a pentastomid parasite of the herring gull.
abstract: Egg production by Reighardia sternae, implanted at various stages of maturity into the interclavicular air sacs of captive gulls, is described. Females produce only 2900 eggs per lifetime over a short patent period of 1-3 days. The problem of a direct life-cycle in relation to this unusually low fecundity is discussed, and speculation is advanced concerning a possible parasitic behavioural trait which could facilitate direct transmission. The hazards of the latter are also offset by auto-reinfection.
mesh_terms: D000400:Air Sacs / Q000469:parasitology; D000818:Animals; D001181:Arthropods / Q000502:physiology*; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D005260:Female; D010272:Parasitic Diseases / Q000469:parasitology; D010273:Parasitic Diseases, Animal