Short communication serum copper,zinc, and calcium concentrations in lice-infested sheep

The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in serum concentration of copper, zinc, and calcium in sheep naturally infested with lice (Bovicola caprae, Linognathus africanus, Linognatus ovillus, and Linognattus pedalis). Twenty sheep naturally infested with lice and 20 healthy sheep were used as subjects. Blood samples were collected from the sheep before and 8 and 15 d after treatment with Avermectin, a veterinary antiparasitic drug. The samples were analyzed for their serum copper, zinc, and calcium concentrations by atomic absorption spectrometry. The concentrations of these elements in the infested animals were lower than in the healthy controls, mainly because the general condition of the affected sheep was poor. When the infested animals were treated with an ectoparasitic drug, the serum levels of the studied elements rose to normal ranges while the health of the animals improved.     

Low parasite infestations in high densities: The paradox of woodpigeons in urban areas

The type of habitat occupied by avian populations has a marked effect on the parasitises they host. The growth of cities and urban areas in recent decades has favoured some species of birds adapted to these types of habitats – urban exploiters – although the effects of urbanisation on the parasitism of wildlife are not always well known. This study compares the ectoparasites characteristic of two differentiated populations of woodpigeons, one located in a predominantly urban environment and the other in a rural one. Most of the species found were chewing lice, with Columbicola claviformis and Campanulotes bidentatus being dominant. Despite the higher density of the urban population, woodpigeon individuals were characterised by a lower abundance of chewing lice, as well as the presence of ectoparasites typical of feral pigeons such as Hohorstiella lata and the hippoboscids fly, Pseudolynchia canariensis. Similarly, birds with lower weights showed a higher parasitic load, which became more noticeable in urban woodpigeons. The lower ectoparasite load of urban hosts represents a health advantage compared with rural populations, which could be one of the causes of greater growth and reproductive success in urban populations of woodpigeons.     

Three new species of the genus Philopteroides Mey, 2004 (Phthiraptera,Ischnocera, Philopteridae) from?New?Zealand

We describe and illustrate three new species of chewing lice in the genus Philopteroides parasitic on passerines (Order Passeriformes, families Acanthizidae, Rhipiduridae and Petroicidae) from New Zealand. They are: Philopteroides pilgrimisp. n. from Gerygone igata igata; Philopteroides fuliginosussp. n. from Rhipidura fuliginosa placabilis and Rhipidura fuliginosa fuliginosa; and Philopteroides macrocephalussp. n. from Petroica macrocephala macrocephala and Petroica macrocephala dannefaerdi. The identity of Docophorus lineatus Giebel, 1874 is discussed based on its morphology and host association. We also transfer Tyranniphilopterus beckeri to the genus Philopteroides, and provide a key to identify adults of 12 of the 13 species now included in Philopteroides.     

Experimental treatment of dog lice infestation in interior Alaska wolf packs

Biting dog lice (Trichodectes canis) were first detected on wolves (Canis lupus) in Southcentral Alaska (USA) in 1981 introduced via domestic dogs. Lice infestation expanded north via wolf dispersal to the Tanana Flats of Interior Alaska in December 2003. Effects of this ectoparasite on wolves were persistent with moderate to severe clinical signs of pediculosis lasting multiple generations. Our objectives were to evaluate the extent of lice infestation on wolves within the Tanana Flats and develop a management program that limited further transmission. We implemented a treatment method that consisted of multiple applications of oral antiparasitic ivermectin-injected baits aerially distributed at den and rendezvous sites during mid-May through August. During 2005–2010, we evaluated 12–19 packs annually as part of a treatment group and 3 infested packs as a control. Infestation rates of treatment packs prior to treatment varied from 15% in 2005 (2 of 13), 50% in 2006 (7 of 14), 24% in 2007 (4 of 17), 5% in 2008 (1 of 19), and 0% in 2009–2010 (0 of 19). We treated 50%, 71%, and 75% of the infested treatment packs during 2005–2007, respectively. All treated packs were lice-free the winter following treatment, whereas all 3 control packs remained infested. The combination of treatment and harvest successfully eliminated the local source population of lice within 3 years and we found no evidence of lice infestation within the treatment area during the last 3 years of the study. By using this treatment method, managers can eliminate dog lice infestations of wolves in areas ≤13,000 km². By initiating treatment promptly after detection, transmission to unexposed nearby packs can be postponed and the local source population of lice on wolves eradicated. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.     

Seasonal occurrence of sea lice Lepeophtheirus salmonis on sea trout in two north Norwegian fjords

Seasonal occurrence of the parasitic copepod Lepeophtheirus salmonis (sea lice) was studied from March to December 2001 in two large north Norwegian sill fjords without fish farming activity, the Ranafjord and the Balsfjord. Anadromous brown trout Salmo trutta (sea trout) in both fjords had a low infestation rate during all sampling periods, but followed a seasonal pattern. During early and late winter (November to December and March to April) and spring (May to June), the prevalence varied from 0 to 25% and the abundance was <0·5 sea lice. Adults dominated (92%) during this period, particularly gravid females. In both fjords, the highest prevalence was during September (80–81%, all stages represented). In Ranafjord, the abundance and mean intensity during this month was 6·8 and 8·6 sea lice, respectively, while in Balsfjord it was 3·6 and 4·5 sea lice, respectively. Fish were captured at temperatures down to 1° C and at full strength sea water which is supposed to cause osmoregulatory problems for the fish. This observation has implications for the understanding of high‐latitude sea trout behaviour and can also make the fish more vulnerable to heavy sea lice infestation during this period. It is suggested that winter running sea trout help to maintain a self replicating local population of sea lice within such fjord systems where other possible hosts ( e.g . farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar ) are not present during a whole year cycle.     

First and southernmost records of Hirsutella (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) and Pandora (Zygomycota: Entomophthorales) species infecting Dermaptera and Psocodea

We present the first and southernmost records of the fungi Hirsutella strigosa Petch, H. citriformis Speare (Ascomycota: Hypocreales), and Pandora nouryi (Remaudière & Hennebert) Humber (Zygomycota: Entomophthorales) infecting Doru lineare (Eschscholtz) (Dermaptera: Forficulidae), Ectopsocus californicus (Banks) (Psocodea: Ectopsocidae), and Heterocaecilius sp. (Psocodea: Pseudocaeciliidae), respectively. This is the first report of naturally occurring pathogenic fungi infecting Psocoptera, and it is also the first report of P. nouryi from any host outside of the Aphididae. The three fungal species were morphologically described from their host insects and from microscopic preparations. Attempts to obtain pure fungal isolates were unsuccessful but slides and photographs of these fungi were preserved and deposited in mycological collections as herbarium material.     

Diversity and Coexistence of Ectoparasites in Small Rodents in a Tropical Dry Forest

To understand the mechanisms driving species diversity is central to community ecology. Here, we explored if habitat partitioning is associated with a species‐rich ectoparasite community in small rodents from a tropical dry forest in western Mexico. We trapped 199 mice in three 0.5 ha‐plots from eight small rodent species for every two months, from July 2011 to April 2012, and collected their ectoparasites. We identified 17 species of mites, two sucking lice species, two phoretic species, and one commensal species. The most abundant ectoparasite species was Steptolaelaps liomydis, representing 42 percent of all ectoparasites collected; seven ectoparasite species had < 10 individuals. Eighteen ectoparasite species (of 22 species) were collected from the most abundant rodent Liomys pictus. C‐score and the number of checkerboard species pairs were significantly higher against a random expectation. Ectoparasite species in L. pictus mice showed host microhabitat partitioning; Fahrenholzia ehrlichi and Fahrenholzia texana were found only in the anterior dorsal area, Ornithonysus sp. occurred along the dorsal part, Ixodes species were restricted to the ears, and Steptolaelaps liomydis was found throughout the body. We also identified ectoparasite communities with distinct species composition in two rodent species that use contrasting macrohabitats (L. pictus, strictly terrestrial; Peromyscus perfulvus, mostly arboreal). The remaining and low abundant rodent species showed a species‐poor ectoparasite community composition. We conclude that habitat partitioning at both macro and microhabitat scales appeared to characterize the species‐rich ectoparasite community. Conversely, most rodent host species with low abundances showed a species‐poor ectoparasite community.     

Abrocomaphthirus hoplai, a new genus and species of sucking louse from Chile and its relevance to zoogeography

Both sexes of Abrocomaphthirus hoplai, new genus and new species (Anoplura: Polyplacidae), are described and illustrated. The endemic Chilean chinchilla rat Abrocoma bennetti Waterhouse (Rodentia: Abrocomidae) is the type host. The definition of the family Polyplacidae is amended to accommodate the new genus. Polyplax longa (Werneck), also referred to in the literature as Neohaematopinus longus Werneck, is reassigned to Abrocomaphthirus. The host of A. longus comb.n., is Abrocoma cinerea Thomas, another chinchilla rat, which inhabits parts of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. The erection of Abrocomaphthirus as a distinct genus has important zoogeographical and evolutionary implications. The tenuous anomaly of P. longa being the sole native representative of the genus Polyplax in South America, possibly with African affinities, is now refuted. Instead, partial colonization of the neotropics by native species of both Polyplax and Neohaematopinus appears to have been relatively recent and from North America. The phylogenetic affinities of Abrocomaphthirus are unknown, but it appears to be closely related to other, more ancient, native South American polyplacid louse genera, such as Cuyana, Eulinognathus, Galeophthirus, and Lagidiophthirus. Arguments are presented in support of an ancestral zoogeographical link to Africa for these louse genera.