#scabies

👁 This charming character is Sarcoptes scabiei, the Itch Mite.

👁 She's a parasitic arachnid which burrows into the skin and produces a rash, the condition known as scabies.

👁 As with many arthropods, you can put the face on the dorsal surface for a comic effect. That's what I've done here, for your amusement. 

Scabies woah

@trans-wolf submitted: I wanted to share this microscopic friend! I work as a vet tech and we had a patient today with scabies! They had the classic presentation of crusty ear tips that were very itchy. We took a skin scrape & lo and behold: our friend Sarcoptes scabiei.

The infestation was mild and it's a straightforward treatment so the dog will be fine. You bet I disinfected like crazy too since they're zoonotic (contagious to humans.)

Despite being a parasite though, I think these guys are so neat! Parasites get too much hate imo. I figured you probably didn't get too many microscopic submissions either. Sorry the mite itself isn't too clear with the fur strands in the way.

Sorry to the itchy dog, but you're right, scabies are cool and fascinating and so are all parasites! Here's a little bit clearer look at a scabies mite:

Scabiosa gigantea (giant scabious)

What's in a name?

All flowers have a scientific name but many also sport a common name. With the exception of the stinking corpse lily (Rafflesia arnoldii), most of these common names are positive. Thus Helianthus becomes a sunflower and even the lowly Taraxacum officinale is called a dandelion. Now what could be more ego-enhancing that being compared to a well-dressed lion?

Other flowers are more often called by their scientific name. Campanulas may be known as bellflowers but everyone I know calls them campanulas. Similarly, Scabiosa may be called a pincushion plant but most people refer to them as scabiosas.

Scabiosa is a Latin word that refers to the insufferable scabies mite. This tiny human parasite causes unbelievable itching and is usually contracted with prolonged skin-to-skin contact with someone who is already infected (read: In adults it's usually a sexually transmitted disease). Children can also catch scabies from infected clothing and bedding as well as infected cats and dogs (it can cause 'mange' in pets). These days, a doctor will prescribe Kwellada lotion but in ancient times, rubbing the skin with this plant was the only remedy.

All those norms of human behavior which are inculcated in one from the cradle are subjected to deliberate and systematic destruction. It's normal to want to be clean? . . . Contract scabies and skin fungus, live in filth, breathe the stench of the slop bucket – then you'll regret your misdemeanors! Women are prone to modesty? All the more reason to strip them naked during searches. . . . A normal person is repelled by coarseness and lies? You will encounter such an amount of both that you will have to strain all your inner resources to remember that there is . . . another reality. . . . Only by a maximum exertion of will is it possible to retain one's former, normal scale of values.