Phylogeny and classification, origins, and evolution of host associations of lice

Lice are highly successful ectoparasites. Most species of mammals and birds are infested by at least 1 but up to 6 species of lice. Current opinion is that lice evolved from free-living Psocoptera (booklice, barklice and psocids). It is generally agreed that there are 4 main groups of lice: Anoplura, Amblycera, Ischnocera and Rhyncophthirina. In contrast, there is no agreement on the phylogenetic relationships of these groups and their classification. In particular, there is much debate over the validity of the taxon Mallophaga, which is almost certainly paraphyletic. For many years the sister-group of the Boopiidae, which almost exclusively infest Australasian marsupials, was thought to be a group of lice that now infest marsupials in South America. This, however, is almost certainly incorrect; the sister-group of the Boopiidae probably contains bird-infesting lice from the Menoponidae (Amblycera). Thus, menoponid lice transferred from birds to mammals and from these arose the Boopiidae. Transfers of lice between mammals and birds have occurred on other occasions during the evolution of the lice; 2 of the 4 main groups of lice, the Ischnocera and Amblycera, contain families that infest birds and families that infest mammals. Strict cospeciation and coevolution was thought to predominate among the lice; however, detailed studies indicate this to be incorrect. Consequently, the axiom that lice and their hosts invariably coevolve should be abandoned. Ironically, biologists may learn more about the evolutionary biology of hosts when host-switching has occurred. Some evidence exists for competition between species of lice; this interaction may determine whether or not the transfer of a species of louse to an atypical hose (a potential host-switch) is successful. Thus, the extincion of populations of lice (that result in uninfested hosts) may facilitate host-switching and perhaps the evolution of new taxa of lice. In contrast, extinction of hosts unfortunately often leads to the extinction of species of lice.     

On the ubiquity and phylogeny of Wolbachia in lice

Wolbachia are intracellular bacteria that occur in an estimated 20% of arthropod species. They are of broad interest because they profoundly affect the reproductive fitness of diverse host taxa. Here we document the apparent ubiquity and diversity of Wolbachia in the insect orders Anoplura (sucking lice) and Mallophaga (chewing lice), by detecting single or multiple infections in each of 25 tested populations of lice, representing 19 species from 15 genera spanning eight taxonomic families. Phylogenetic analyses indicate a high diversity of Wolbachia in lice, as evidenced by the identification of 39 unique strains. Some of these strains are apparently unique to lice, whereas others are similar to strains that infect other insect taxa. Wolbachia are transmitted from infected females to their offspring via egg cytoplasm, such that similar species of lice are predicted to have similar strains of Wolbachia. This predicted pattern is not supported in the current study and may reflect multiple events of recent horizontal transmission between host species. At present, there is no known mechanism that would allow for this latter mode of transmission to and within species of lice.     

Population dynamics of Mallophaga and Acari on reed buntings occupying a communal winter roost

Abstract. 1. Mallophaga and Acari were collected from 324 reed buntings (Emberiza schoeniclus (Linnaeus)) captured in a communal winter roost between October 1980 and March 1981.
2. Frequency distributions of one of the mallophagan species, (Philopterus docophorulus (Zlotorzycka)), of the aggregated Mallophaga, and of the aggregated Acari, conform well with a negative binomial model. The remaining three mallophagan species collected were not present in sufficient numbers to describe a frequency distribution.
3. The ratio of nymphs to adults in the mallophagan community increased significantly in the second half of the roosting period (January–March) indicating the onset of increased reproductive activity.     

Ectoparasite ticks and chewing lice of red-legged partridge,Alectoris rufa,in Spain

During the 1992-1993 and 1993-1994 shooting seasons, 212 wild red-legged partridge, Alectoris rufa (Galliformes: Phaisanide) were captured in 18 Spanish provinces and examined for chewing lice and ticks. Three tick species and six species of chewing lice were found. Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Haemaphysalis punctata Canestrini & Fanzago, Hyalomma lusitanicum Koch and Ixodes frontalis Panzer were found at the lowest prevalence (1.4% overall tick prevalence). The louse (Mallophaga) species, Goniodes dispar Burmeister (Goniodidae) (52.8%) and Cuclotogaster obscurior Hopkins (Philopteridae) (28.8%) were the most prevalent, while Goniocotes obscurus Giebel (Philopteridae) (10.8%), Menopon pallens Clay (Menoponidae) (7.5%) and Menacanthus lyali Rodriguez et al. (Menoponidae) (3.3%) were found at medium to low prevalence. Columbicola columbae columbae Linnaeus (Philopteridae) was found at the lowest prevalence (0.5%). The intensity of C. obscurior and overall intensity of all lice species were directly related to the environmental mean temperature and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), whereas intensity of G. dispar was directly related to NDVI only. The intensity of G. dispar, C. obscurior, all louse intensity, and louse species richness were higher in male than female birds. Intensity of each louse species, all louse intensity and louse species richness were inversely associated with the nutritional index. No relationship was observed between bird age and louse intensity or species richness.     

Seasonal changes in a population of Menacanthuseurysternus (mallophaga, amblycera) on the common myna Acridotheres tristis

Seasonal changes in a population of Menacanthus eurysternus (Mallophaga, Amblycera) on the common myna Acridotheres trislis. International Journal for Parasitology20: 1063–1065. Seasonal variations in a population of an amblyceran louse, Menacanthus eurysternus, infesting the common myna have been studied. Incidence of infestation, lice, index, and population structure of this species have been recorded in different months of the year; reasons for the population fluctuations are discussed.     

Seasonal changes in a population of Menacanthus eurysternus (Mallophaga, Amblycera) on the common myna Acridotheres tristis

Seasonal changes in a population of Menacanthus eurysternus (Mallophaga, Amblycera) on the common myna Acridotheres trislis. International Journal for Parasitology 20: 1063–1065. Seasonal variations in a population of an amblyceran louse, Menacanthus eurysternus, infesting the common myna have been studied. Incidence of infestation, lice, index, and population structure of this species have been recorded in different months of the year; reasons for the population fluctuations are discussed.     

Species distribution of genus Quadraceps (Mallophaga: Philopteridae) on New Zealand endemic plovers

Abstract

The louse genus Quadraceps Clay & Meinertzhagen is represented on New Zealand endemic Charadriinae by Q. dominella Timmermann, Q. novaeseelandiae Timmermann, and Q. cedemajori Timmermann, which are parasitic on Charadrius obscurus (Gmelin), Thinornis novaeseelandiae (Gmelin), and Anarhynchus frontalis Quoy & Gaimard respectively. Charadrius bicinctus Jardine & Selby is parasitised by both Q. novaeseelandiae and Q. cedemajori. This pattern of distribution is unusual, in that two Quadraceps species are sympatric on the same host individuals, and host species that are not closely related have louse species in common. It seems probable that C. bicinctus has been secondarily colonised by two species of Quadraceps. One species appears to have primarily evolved on 7 novaeseelandiae and the other on A. frontalis.     

汤氏嗜牛虱在我国发现及其雄性的记述：（食毛目：啮毛虱科）

G.A.H.Bedford 1963年根据采自苏门答腊的鬣羚(苏门羚)Capricornis sumatraensis上的雌性啮虱标本发表了汤氏嗜牛虱Bovicola thompsoni这个新种。但迄今未发现其雄性标本。作者1982年获得从贵州省鬣羚上采得的啮虱标本,雌雄具备。经与原描述及Werneck(1950)对原标本的再描述核对、并与采自尼泊尔鬣羚上的经K.C.Emerson鉴定的雌性标本对照,确定为汤氏嗜牛虱。因雌性的原描述很简单,而Werneck的再次描述文献很不易获得,故现依我国标本将雌雄性描述如下。