Definition of "ectoparasites" [ectoparasites]

• Plural form of ectoparasite. (noun)

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• "Although the term ectoparasites can broadly include blood-sucking arthropods such as mosquitoes (because they are dependent on a blood meal from a human host for their survival), this term is generally used more narrowly to refer to organisms such as ticks, fleas, lice, and mites that attach or burrow into the skin and remain there for relatively long periods of time (e.g., weeks to months)."
• "Dispatching certain ectoparasites – notably fleas and feather lice – isn’t easy because the tough, flattened bodies of these arthropods are really good at resisting pressure."
• "In particular we’re going to look at how birds have evolved to cope with certain ectoparasites."