Digestive And Tracheal System of Menopon Gallinae (Phthiraptera: Amblycera) Infesting Poultry Bird (Gallus Gallus Domesticus)

The digestive and tracheal system of a poultry shaft louse, Menopon gallinae (Phthiraptera: Amblycera) has been studied in greater details. Alimentary canal of louse was dissected out along with crop under stereozoom binocular microscope. Entire alimentary canal of M. gallinae was found more or less straight and has three basic parts (fore-gut, mid-gut and hind-gut) while crop-teeth was present in the crop. The posterior end of crop contains 20-30 well developed crop-teeth arranged in a single arced plate, in comb-like fashion. Mid-gut was found as simple tube and contributes nearly one half of the total length, while the hind-gut was marked by the opening of Malpighian tubules in alimentary canal. The heart of M. gallinae is of simplest kind, one chambered bulbous structure having three pairs of laterally placed ostia and supported by four pairs of alary muscles. In the tracheal system there were seven pairs of spiracles occurred on the terga of M. gallinae. The first pair of spiracle was found located close to legs while remaining six abdominal spiracles occur from segment 3rd to 8th. The degree of tracheation of various visceral organs has also been noted.

Antennal sensilla of head of poultry shaft louse, Menopon gallinae (Phthiraptera, Insecta, Menoponidae, Amblycera)

Phthirapteran ectoparasites (lice) are very small arthropodan creature which spend their life on different mammalian and avian host body. Many morphological features of these tiny creatures are not visible under simple microscopic study and hence scanning electron microscopic (SEM) study is required for specific details. Antennal sensillum is also one of the special features located on anterior part of the head of the louse. The present study on the sample specimen of poultry louse, Menopon gallinae (Phthiraptera : Amblycera) showed presence of a small, ovoid scape and pedicel (broad cup-like structure having narrower base) seen in antennal sensilla under SEM. In addition to sensory setae, sense organ was present on terminal segment. Tuft organ contain 6/7 small peg like structure. Pit organ was also visible at the sub-terminal area of fourth segment. Presence of any structure resembling coeloconic chaemo-receptor was not observed on any flagellar sub-segment of M. gallinae.