title: Chewing lice (Phthiraptera) from wild birds in southern Portugal.
abstract: This study was carried out to determine chewing louse species of wild birds in the Ria Formosa Natural Park, located in southern Portugal. In addition, the hypothesis that bird age, avian migration and social behaviour have an impact on the louse prevalence was tested. Between September and December of 2013, 122 birds (belonging to 10 orders, 19 families, 31 genera and 35 species) captured in scientific ringing sessions and admitted to the Wildlife Rehabilitation and Investigation Centre of Ria Formosa were examined for lice. Twenty-six (21.3%) birds were found to be infested with at least one chewing louse species. The chewing lice identified include 18 species. Colonial birds (34.9%) and migratory birds (29.5%) had statistically significant higher prevalence than territorial birds (6.8%) and resident birds (13.1%), respectively. This paper records 17 louse species for the first time in southern Portugal: Laemobothrion maximum, Laemobothrion vulturis, Actornithophilus piceus lari, Actornithophilus umbrinus, Austromenopon lutescens, Colpocephalum heterosoma, Colpocephalum turbinatum, Eidmanniella pustulosa, Nosopon casteli, Pectinopygus bassani, Pseudomenopon pilosum, Trinoton femoratum, Trinoton querquedulae, Craspedorrhynchus platystomus, Degeeriella fulva, Falcolipeurus quadripustulatus, Lunaceps schismatus. Also a nymph of the genus Strigiphilus was collected from a Eurasian eagle-owl. These findings contribute to the knowledge of avian chewing lice from important birds areas in Portugal.
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental and Marine Studies/Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal. Electronic address: andre_tomas2@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tomás
authors.affiliation: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, P.O. Box 467, Wellington 6011, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Ricardo L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Palma
authors.affiliation: Center for Environmental and Marine Studies/Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Maria Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Rebelo
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Centre of Research on Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Isabel Pereira
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: da Fonseca
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D005260:Female; D010373:Lice Infestations / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D008003:Phthiraptera / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification*; D011174:Portugal / Q000453:epidemiology; D020305:Strigiformes / Q000469:parasitology*
keywords: Chewing louse species; Host–parasite associations; New records; Phthiraptera; Portugal; Wild birds