Chewing lice (Phthiraptera) Found on Wild Birds in Turkey

Abstract

This study was performed to detect chewing lice on some birds investigated in Eskisehir and Konya provinces in Central Anatolian Region of Turkey between 2008 and 2010 years. For this aim, 31 bird specimens belonging to 23 bird species which were injured or died were examined for the louse infestation. Firstly, the feathers of each bird were inspected macroscopically, all observed louse specimens were collected and then the examined birds were treated with a synthetic pyrethroid spray (Biyo avispray-Biyoteknik (R)). The collected lice were placed into the tubes with 70% alcohol and mounted on slides with Canada balsam after being cleared in KOH 10%. Then the collected chewing lice were identified under the light microscobe. Eleven out of totally 31 (35.48%) birds were found to be infested with at least one chewing louse species. Eighteen lice species were found belonging to 16 genera on infested birds. Thirteen of 18 lice species; Actornithophilus piceus piceus (Denny, 1842); Anaticola phoenicopteri (Coincide, 1859); Anatoecus pygaspis (Nitzsch, 1866); Colpocephalum heterosoma Piaget, 1880; C. polonum Eichler and Zlotorzycka, 1971; Fulicoffula lurida (Nitzsch, 1818); Incidifrons fulicia (Linnaeus, 1758); Meromenopon meropis Clay ve Meinertzhagen, 1941; Meropoecus meropis (Denny, 1842); Pseudomenopon pilosum (Scopoli, 1763); Rallicola fulicia (Denny, 1842); Saemundssonia lari Fabricius, O, 1780), and Trinoton femoratum Piaget, 1889 have been recorded from Turkey for the first time.