Chewing lice from high‐altitude and migrating birds in Yunnan,China, with descriptions of two new species of Guimaraesiella

In total, 366 birds representing 55 species in 24 families and eight orders, were examined for chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Amblycera, Ischnocera) in two high‐altitude localities in Yunnan Province, China. In Ailaoshan, almost all of the birds examined were resident passeriforms, of which 36% were parasitized by chewing lice. In Jinshanyakou, most birds were on migration, and included both passerine and non‐passerine birds. Of the passerine birds caught in Jinshanyakou, only one bird (0.7%) was parasitized by chewing lice. The prevalence of Myrsidea and Brueelia‐complex lice on birds caught in Ailaoshan was higher than in previous reports. Of the chewing lice identifiable to species level, three represent new records for China: Actornithophilus hoplopteri (Mjöberg, 1910), Maculinirmus ljosalfar Gustafsson & Bush, 2017 and Quadraceps sinensis Timmermann, 1954. In total, 17 new host records are included, of which we describe two as new species in the Brueelia‐complex: Guimaraesiella (Cicchinella) ailaoshanensis sp. nov. ex Schoeniparus dubius dubius (Hume, 1874) and G. (C.) montisodalis sp. nov. ex Fulvetta manipurensis tonkinensis Delacour & Jabouille, 1930. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9FC3D8EE‐2CED‐4DBE‐A1DB‐471B71260D27 .     

Genus Bembidion Latreille (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in New Zealand: A revision

The cosmopolitan genus Bembidion is represented in New Zealand by 20 species, of which 19 are endemic; B. brullei appears to be a recent introduction. On phenetic characters the species fall into 7 subgenera, as follows: Zeplataphus n.subg.—maorinum Bates, dehiscens Broun, charile Bates, granuliferum n.sp., townsendi n.sp., tairuense Bates; Zeactedium Netolitzky—orbiferum Bates, musae Broun; Zeperyphodes n.subg.—callipeplum Bates; Zeperyphus n.subg.—actuarium Broun; Zemetal‐lina n.subg.—chalceipes Bates, solitarium n.sp., anchonoderum Bates, tekapoense Broun, wanakense n.sp., urewerense n.sp., hokitikense Bates, parviceps Bates; Ananotaphus Netolitzky—rotundicolle Bates; Notaphus Stephens—brullei Gemminger & Harold. The North Island population of maorinum is distinct from the typical South Island form in having reduced microscrulpture on the elytra, and is here separated as levatum n.ssp. An apparent geographic isolate of anchonoderum, represented by 2 females from Stewart Island, is provisionally recognised as stewartense n.ssp. The polymorphic complex within subg. Ananotaphus is here regarded as a single species, of which the North Island population is sufficiently distinct to warrant subspecific status as eustictum Bates; however, intergrades occur in the north‐west of the South Island. The following names fall into synonymy: latiusculum Broun (= maorinum); diaphanum Broun (= musae); nesophilum Broun (= callipeplum)’, tinctellum Broun (= chalceipes);antipodum Broun (= anchonoderum)’, tantillum Broun and probably attenuatum Broun (=hokitikense)’, clevedonense Broun and waikatoense Broun (= rotundicolle, ssp. eustictum)’, gameani Jeannel (= brullei). The relationships and aspects of the biology and ecology of the New Zealand Bembidion fauna are discussed.     

Infestation of people with lice in Kathmandu and Pokhara, Nepal

The prevalence of infestation with head lice and body lice, Pediculus spp. (Phthiraptera: Pediculidae) and pubic (crab) lice Pthirus pubis (L.) (Phthiraptera: Pthiridae), was recorded from 484 people in Nepal. The prevalence of head lice varied from 16% in a sample of people aged 10-39 years of age, to 59% in street children. Simultaneous infestations with head and body lice (double infestations) varied from 18% in slum children to 59% in street children.     

Genetic variation in infestation with a directly transmitted ectoparasite

Genetic variation in levels of parasitism of hosts is an underlying assumption of studies of coevolution, but few such estimates are available from the field. We studied genetic variation in the abundance of the chewing louse Hirundoecus malleus on its barn swallow host Hirundo rustica. These parasites are directly transmitted and a test of genetic variation of parasite abundance would thus provide a particularly strong test. The prevalence and the abundance of the chewing lice did not differ significantly between adult male and female hosts. The resemblance in parasite intensity of H. malleus of offspring and their parents was positive and highly significant, and an analysis of extra-pair paternity in the host allowed partitioning of this resemblance between genetic and common environment effects. There was no significant resemblance in parasite intensity between extra-pair offspring and their foster parents, although the resemblance remained for within-pair offspring. This provides evidence for the abundance of directly transmitted parasites having an additive genetic component. We found no evidence of common environment effects as parents did not resemble each other with respect to lice abundance.     

Linking coevolutionary history to ecological process: doves and lice

Abstract Many host-specific parasites are restricted to a limited range of host species by ecological barriers that impede dispersal and successful establishment. In some cases, microevolutionary differentiation is apparent on top of host specificity, as evidenced by significant parasite population genetic structure among host populations. Ecological barriers responsible for specificity and genetic structure can, in principle, reinforce macroevolutionary processes that generate congruent host-parasite phylogenies. However, few studies have explored both the micro- and macroevolutionary ramifications of close association in a single host-parasite system. Here we compare the macroevolutionary histories of two genera of feather lice (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera) that both parasitize New World pigeons and doves (Aves: Columbiformes). Earlier work has shown that dove body lice (genus Physconelloides ) are more host specific and have greater population genetic structure than dove wing lice ( Columbicola ). We reconstructed phylogenies for representatives of the two genera of lice and their hosts, using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences. The phylogenies were well resolved and generally well supported. We compared the phylogenies of body lice and wing lice to the host phylogeny using reconciliation analyses. We found that dove body lice show strong evidence of cospeciation whereas dove wing lice do not. Although the ecology of body and wing lice is very similar, differences in their dispersal ability may underlie these joint differences in host specificity, population genetic structure, and coevolutionary history.     

Trichodectes canis (De Geer, 1778) (Phthiraptera, Ischnocera), a new ectoparasite of the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) in the Czech Republic

The raccoon (Nyctereutes procyonoides) is described as a host of the dog biting louse, Trichodectes canis (De Geer, 1778). The present note reports the occurrence of this species of louse on two raccoon dogs from Moravia and Bohemia. The specimens of T. canis collected on this host differed from T. canis originating from the domestic dog by body size only.     

Integrating phylogenomic and population genomic patterns in avian lice provides a more complete picture of parasite evolution

Parasite diversity accounts for most of the biodiversity on earth, and is shaped by many processes (e.g., cospeciation, host switching). To identify the effects of the processes that shape parasite diversity, it is ideal to incorporate both deep (phylogenetic) and shallow (population) perspectives. To this end, we developed a novel workflow to obtain phylogenetic and population genetic data from whole genome sequences of body lice parasitizing New World ground‐doves. Phylogenies from these data showed consistent, highly resolved species‐level relationships for the lice. By comparing the louse and ground‐dove phylogenies, we found that over long‐term evolutionary scales their phylogenies were largely congruent. Many louse lineages (both species and populations) also demonstrated high host‐specificity, suggesting ground‐dove divergence is a primary driver of their parasites’ diversity. However, the few louse taxa that are generalists are structured according to biogeography at the population level. This suggests dispersal among sympatric hosts has some effect on body louse diversity, but over deeper time scales the parasites eventually sort according to host species. Overall, our results demonstrate that multiple factors explain the patterns of diversity in this group of parasites, and that the effects of these factors can vary over different evolutionary scales. The integrative approach we employed was crucial for uncovering these patterns, and should be broadly applicable to other studies.     

宁夏吸虱一新种记述（虱目：多板虱科）

从宁夏回族自动区的鼠类上采得吸虱,经鉴定其中有一新种,命名为十字真颚虱Ｅｕｌｉｎｏｇｎａｔｈｕｓ ｃｒｕｃｉｆｏｒｍｉｓ ｓｐ．ｎｏｖ．,其主要的特征是有形状独特的胸板。     

Population biology of swift (Apus apus) ectoparasites in relation to host reproductive success

Abstract.

• 1 We censused ectoparasite populations of adult and nestling swifts over the course of the host's breeding season. Nearly all of the birds were infested with chewing lice and two-thirds of the nests were infested with louse flies. Feather mites were observed but not quantified.
• 2 Lice and louse flies both showed aggregated distributions among hosts. Louse eggs, hatched lice and adult louse flies had negative binomial distributions, whereas the aggregated distribution of louse fly pupae was not adequately described by negative binomial or Poisson models.
• 3 Transmission of lice from parents to offspring was documented. A comparison of the age structure of lice on parents and offspring indicated that most transmission was by nymphal lice.
• 4 Host reproductive success and survival appeared to be independent of the number of lice or louse flies. Neither parasite correlated with the number, body mass, or date of fledging of young birds, nor with the overwinter survival of adults. We caution, however, that experimental manipulations of parasite load are required for a definitive test of the impact of ectoparasites on evolutionary fitness components.

     

Evaluation of two methods for quantifying passeriform lice

Two methods commonly used to quantify ectoparasites on live birds are visual examination and dust‐ruffling. Visual examination provides an estimate of ectoparasite abundance based on an observer's timed inspection of various body regions on a bird. Dust‐ruffling involves application of insecticidal powder to feathers that are then ruffled to dislodge ectoparasites onto a collection surface where they can then be counted. Despite the common use of these methods in the field, the proportion of actual ectoparasites they account for has only been tested with Rock Pigeons (Columba livia), a relatively large‐bodied species (238–302 g) with dense plumage. We tested the accuracy of the two methods using European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris; ～75 g). We first quantified the number of lice (Brueelia nebulosa) on starlings using visual examination, followed immediately by dust‐ruffling. Birds were then euthanized and the proportion of lice accounted for by each method was compared to the total number of lice on each bird as determined with a body‐washing method. Visual examination and dust‐ruffling each accounted for a relatively small proportion of total lice (14% and 16%, respectively), but both were still significant predictors of abundance. The number of lice observed by visual examination accounted for 68% of the variation in total abundance. Similarly, the number of lice recovered by dust‐ruffling accounted for 72% of the variation in total abundance. Our results show that both methods can be used to reliably quantify the abundance of lice on European Starlings and other similar‐sized passerines.