Some chewing lice (Phthiraptera) species as ectoparasites infested aquatic birds with a new record of three species from al-sanaf marsh/ southern Iraq

Abstract

The present study was carried out to determine additional chewing lice of aquatic birds and additional data on the prevalence of chewing lice in aquatic birds found on the Southern marshes of Iraq. Sixty-nine of different species of aquatic birds were randomly collected and examined for chewing lice in Al-Sanaf marsh, which is located in Thi-Qar province / Southern Iraq, between October 2016 and February 2017, the lice placed in tubes containing 70% ethanol after that they cleared, mounted and identified according to morphological features. Twenty-five (36.23%) out of 69 aquatic birds were infested with chewing lice, a total of six lice species were identified from birds in the current study included Piagetiella titan and Pectinopygus forficulatus infested White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus, Actornithophilus piceus lari infested Slender-billed Gull Larus geni, Actornithophilus himantopi infested Black-Winged stilt Himantopus himantopus, Rallicola fulicae isolated from coot Fulica atra and Rallicola parani infested moorhen Gallinula chloropus. Three lice species: Pectinopygus forficulatus, Rallicola fulicae and Rallicola parani were recorded in current study for the first time in Iraq. We need further investigations of Phthiraptera fauna are very important, not only to complete the list, but also to provide information about parasite-host vector relationships and phylogenetic relation among species.