scholarly journals Parasites of the Shiny Cowbird, Molothrus bonariensis, and the Austral Blackbird, Curaeus curaeus, (Passeriformes: Icteridae) in Chile

Author(s):  
Mabel Mena ◽  
José Osvaldo Valdebenito ◽  
Lucila Moreno ◽  
Danny Fuentes-Castillo ◽  
John Mike Kinsella ◽  
...  

Abstract Comparative studies of parasites in sympatric bird species have been generally scarce. Parasitic infection/transmission can be spread in a number of ways that suggests possible direct and indirect, horizontal transmission between avian hosts. In order to determine whether two sympatric icterids from Central and Southern Chile share their parasite fauna (ecto- and endoparasites), we examined parasites of 27 Shiny Cowbirds, Molothrus bonariensis, and 28 Austral Blackbirds, Curaeus curaeus, including individuals captured in the wild and carcasses. We found that Shiny Cowbirds were infected with the chewing lice Brueelia bonariensis, Philopterus sp. 1, the feather mites Amerodectes molothrus, Proctophyllodes spp. (species 1 and 2), and the helminths Mediorhynchus papillosus, Plagiorhynchus sp., Dispharynx nasuta and Tetrameres paucispina, while Austral Blackbirds had the chewing lice Myrsidea sp., Philopterus sp. 2, the feather mites Proctophyllodes sp. 3, Amerodectes sp., and three helminths: Anonchotaenia sp., Capillaria sp. and M. papillosus. The flea Dasypsyllus (Neornipsyllus) cteniopus was found only on the Austral Blackbird. The only parasite species shared by both icterids was the acanthocephalan M. papillosus, possibly due to their feeding on the same intermediate insect hosts. With the exception of B. bonariensis and Philopterus sp. 1 found on the Shiny Cowbird, all species reported in this study represent new parasite-host associations and new records of parasite diversity in Chile.

Author(s):  
José Osvaldo Valdebenito ◽  
Lucila Moreno ◽  
Carlos Barrientos ◽  
Sergey Mironov ◽  
John Mike Kinsella ◽  
...  

Abstract With the aim to identify the parasite fauna of plumbeous rail, Pardirallus sanguinolentus (Aves: Rallidae) in Chile, 26 carcasses were parasitologically necropsied. The present study revealed the presence of 14 species of parasites (inverse Simpson index = 4.64; evenness = 0.332), including ectoparasites: feather mites: Analloptes megnini , Grallobia sp., Grallolichus sp., Megniniella sp., and Metanalges sp.; the feather lice Pseudomenopon meinertzhageni, Rallicola andinus, and Fulicoffula sp.; and six species of gastrointestinal helminths: Heterakis psophiae, Porrocaecum ardeae, Tetrameres sp., Capillaria sp., Diorchis sp., and Plagiorhynchus sp. The relatively high parasite richness that was found could be attributed to the highly favorable conditions of wetlands for parasite development. All parasites found, except feather lice, are new records for plumbeous rail. A checklist of parasites for plumbeous rail is presented.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-154
Author(s):  
Giovanni Cárdenas Carmona ◽  
Juan Camilo Franco

We report two bird species with pigment anomalies, which were seen in Cali, Colombia in 2020. The individuals were, a female Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) with partial leucism, a female Ruddy Ground-Dove (Columbia talpacoti) with partial leucism and a young nestling of the same species, with albinism. The records reported here are the first of partial leucism and albinism for Columbia talpacoti and partial leucism for Molothrus bonariensis in Colombia.


1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (12) ◽  
pp. 2998-3005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jae C. Choe ◽  
Ke Chung Kim

A total of 28 species of arthropods was recovered from 29 common murres (Uria aalge), 8 thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia), 22 black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla), and 10 red-legged kittiwakes (Rissa brevirostris) collected from the Pribilof Islands, Alaska, U.S.A. The ectoparasite community on each bird species almost invariably consisted of three species of chewing lice, two species of ticks, and five to nine species of mites. Astigmatid feather mites (Alloptes spp., Laronyssus martini (Trouessart)) were the most numerous group of ectoparasites except on black-legged kittiwakes on which Ixodes ticks were the most abundant. The second most abundant taxa were ticks on common murres and thick-billed murres, and quill mites (Syringophilidae) on red-legged kittiwakes. Kittiwakes usually supported more diverse communities of ectoparasites than did murres, probably because of differences in nesting and foraging behavior. Ectoparasite communities between the congeneric species of birds were particularly similar in terms of species composition and general structure, and supported our hypothesis that phylogenetic relatedness of hosts is reflected in similarity of their ectoparasite communities. Community structure of ectoparasites was much more similar between the two murre species than between the two kittiwake species, probably because of gregarious flocking and mixed-species nesting of murres.


2009 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel P. Valim ◽  
Francine M. Lambrecht ◽  
Élvia E. S. Vianna

A collection of chewing lice was studied from the Natural History Museum of the Universidade Católica de Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Twenty three samples from 16 bird species were examined. Included therein was a new species of the genus Plegadiphilus Bedford, 1939 which is described, illustrated and compared to P. cayennensis Emerson & Price, 1969. An updated list of chewing lice species recorded from birds of that state is presented.


Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 430
Author(s):  
John P. Pistone ◽  
Jessica E. Light ◽  
Tyler A. Campbell ◽  
Therese A. Catanach ◽  
Gary Voelker

South Texas is a highly variable region encompassing multiple habitat types and harboring a wide diversity of organisms. However, the parasite fauna in this region is poorly known, especially for avian ectoparasites such as lice. To better understand avian louse diversity and host associations in South Texas, we examined a total of 507 birds for chewing lice. Lice were morphologically identified to genus and phylogenetic analysis was performed using one mitochondrial (COI) and two nuclear (18S rRNA and EF-1α) genes. Of the birds examined, 69 (13.5%) were parasitized by lice resulting in a total of 63 host associations across 45 bird species, 29 of which were previously unrecorded. The predominant taxa encountered during this study included two of the most diverse louse genera, Myrsidea and Brueelia. Molecular analyses revealed 21 distinct genetic lineages, 17 of which are associated with novel host associations and may represent new species. This study represents the first extensive examination of avian louse host associations and relationships in Texas and reveals that there is still much to be learned about ectoparasite diversity in the New World.


2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 327-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Sazima ◽  
Cristina Sazima

Some bird species feed on external parasites, such as ticks and flies, on the body of mammals (hosts or clients). So called cleaner birds that occur in Brazil were reviewed recently, but gathering of significant new data indicates the need for an update and a brief reappraisal of such association. New records raise the number of known clients for some cleaning birds. The Southern Caracara (Caracara plancus) picks ticks on cattle, and the Black Caracara (Daptrius ater) picks ticks on capybaras. The Wattled Jacana (Jacana jacana) picks ticks, horseflies, arthropods and organic debris on capybaras, and tick-picking on capybaras by the Shiny Cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) is substantiated by photographs. The Cattle Tyrant (Machetornis rixosa) deftly catches horseflies on capybaras, and these latter clients are recorded posing for the Giant Cowbird (Molothrus oryzivorus), which also pick parasites from the marsh deer. The Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) definitely picks ticks directly on cattle. With the new records, some poorly documented or controversial issues in the literature are here confirmed, a hypothesis is validated, and a suggestion is invalidated.


2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 422-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Osvaldo Valdebenito ◽  
Lucila Moreno ◽  
Carlos Landaeta-Aqueveque ◽  
John Mike Kinsella ◽  
Sergey Mironov ◽  
...  

Abstract Parasite species are important components of biodiversity, as they provide valuable information about host health, evolutionary relationships, population structures, trophic interactions, the existence of environmental stresses, and climatic conditions. With the aim of describing the parasites associated with parrots of the genus Enicognathus Gray 1840 from central Chile, thirteen austral parakeets, Enicognathus ferrugineus, and five slender-billed parakeets, E. leptorhynchus, were examined between September 2007 and March 2014. The prevalence of ectoparasites and endoparasites was 88.9% and 22.2%, respectively. On eleven of the E. ferrugineus (84.6%) analyzed, and on all of the E. leptorhynchus analyzed (100%), five feather mite species (Pararalichus hastifolia, Genoprotolichus major, Protonyssus sp., Fainalges sp., and Eurydiscalges sp.) were collected. On ten E. ferrugineus (76.9%) and two E. leptorhynchus (40%), the chewing lice Heteromenopon macrurum, Psittacobrossus patagoni, and Paragoniocotes enicognathidis were collected. The nematode Capillaria plagiaticia was collected from three E. ferrugineus (23.1%), and the nematode Ascaridia hermaphrodita was found in one E. leptorhynchus (20%). The presence of C. plagiaticia, Protonyssus sp., Fainalges sp., and Eurydiscalges sp. from the two Enicognathus spp. are new records for Chile and represent new parasite-host associations.


Check List ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 1371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio Hideki Yamada ◽  
Ricardo Massato Takemoto

A parasitological study of two freshwater cichlid fish of the genus Cichla (C. kelberi and C. piquiti) from six different aquatic ecosystems in Brazil was performed. Based on the survey, a checklist of the component community of the metazoan parasites of each of the two peacock-bass fish species was produced. Fish were collected from May 2009 to April 2011 in six Brazilian aquatic ecosystems using gillnets of different mesh sizes or angling using standardized effort. In total, six groups of parasites were collected: Monogenea, Digenea, Cestoda, Nematoda, Copepoda and Branchiura. Among the groups of parasites found, nematodes presented the greatest number of species, with seven. The study lists new records of parasites in C. kelberi and C. piquiti, and new biogeography records of parasites in six different aquatic ecosystems in Brazil. The present paper collaborates with the study of conservation biology by adding new records of parasite species.


Zootaxa ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5069 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-80
Author(s):  
LUCIE OŠLEJŠKOVÁ ◽  
JÁN KRIŠTOFÍK ◽  
ALFRÉD TRNKA ◽  
OLDŘICH SYCHRA

This checklist includes taxa of chewing lice from published records, old collections, and recently collected material from birds and mammals in Slovakia. Data from established collections correspond to five different periods: (1) 1925–1939, collection of Karel Pfleger; (2) 1946–1978, collection of František Balát; (3) 1974–1985, collection of Vladimír Straka; (4) 1997–2012, collection of Ján Krištofík; and (5) 2008–2019, a collection made by the authors of this paper. A total of 255 species of feather lice—67 amblyceran species in 22 genera of families Laemobothriidae, Menoponidae and Ricinidae, and 188 ischnoceran species in 54 genera of the family Philopteridae—and 366 host-louse associations are listed from 171 bird species in 21 orders. In addition, eight species of chewing lice in five genera of the family Trichodectidae are listed from eight species of mammals. Species of chewing lice are reported from about 240 different locations throughout the territory of Slovakia. Also, 43 species of lice and 20 host-louse associations for Slovakia, as well as four host-louse associations for the world, are included as new records. A host-louse list of recorded species is also given.  


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