@article {94918, title = {Host habitat and position on host affecting the evolution of chewing lice (Phthiraptera): Phylogenetic analysis of Ischnocera in Saudi Arabia}, journal = {Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics}, volume = {6}, year = {2020}, pages = {101 - 112}, type = {Open Access}, abstract = {

There are very few reports discussing the higher level phylogeny of the chewing lice (Phthiraptera) and their roles in the evaluation of these insects. So, the aim of this work is to study the phylogeny of genera of the suborder Ischnocera in Saudi Arabia using morphological, ecological and molecular criteria trying to answer a very important question about ecological factors that affecting their evolution. The results show high degree of similarity between phylograms produced by morphological and ecological criteria and that produced by genes sequencing data of Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit I (COI) and elongation factor-1 alpha (EF-1). The rooted trees showed several clusters for head chewing lice and this indicated that the phenomenon of parasitizing birds\’ heads evolved several times in the clade of chewing louse. This is also indicating that the position on host played a very important role in shaping the diversity of these insects. The unrooted tree which produced by analysis of COI and (EF-1) also supports the previous conclusion but added to it the impact of host habitat on such diversity. The evolutionary distance between marine birds\’ chewing lice was very small and all of them appear in single line or group which far from that of terrestrial taxa of the chewing lice. Both the host habitat and the feeding position of chewing lice on
their hosts played a very important role in the way by which this group of insects evolved.

}, keywords = {Chewing lice, Evolution, Host habitat, Ischnocera, Phylogeny, Saudi Arabia}, issn = {2423 - 8112}, url = {https://jibs.modares.ac.ir/article-36-31708-en.html}, author = {Mohamed Gamal El-D Nasser and Eslam Adly and Azzam Alahmed and Mohammed Shobrak} } @article {94659, title = {An Analysis of Osprey/Chewing Lice Interaction, with a New Record for Saudi Arabia}, journal = {African Entomology}, volume = {27}, year = {2019}, month = {04-2019}, pages = {178-184}, abstract = {

Parasitism is a hostile relationship that helps greatly in the development and evolution of many creatures in their race for survival. Chewing lice of nestlings of the osprey Pandion haliaetus (L.) have been studied in Farasan Island, Saudi Arabia. All previous chewing lice records from this bird have also been reviewed. Four species of chewing lice are previously known to infest P. haliaetus. The nestlings of the osprey in Farasan were only infested by Colpocephalum turbinatum Denny, 1842. This species of chewing lice is recorded herein for the first time from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its distributional pattern is very characteristic among three different avian orders (Accipitriformes, Columbiformes, and Strigiformes). Colpocephalum turbinatum was found mainly on terrestrial birds of the order Columbiformes and it may be transferred to predatory birds in the other two orders, but the presence of this parasite on some aquatic birds of prey like osprey may indicate that the ancestors of these birds were terrestrial hunters that acquired this louse from their prey such as doves and pigeons before their transference to aquatic life. The pattern of chewing lice distribution through their host populations and habitats may reveal some important ecological and evolutionary events that happened to their hosts in the past.

}, keywords = {birds of prey, New records, Saudi Arabia}, doi = {10.4001/003.027.0178}, url = {https://bioone.org/journals/african-entomology/volume-27/issue-1/003.027.0178/An-Analysis-of-Osprey-Chewing-Lice-Interaction-with-a-New/10.4001/003.027.0178.full}, author = {Mohamed Gamal El-D Nasser and Azzam Alahmed and Muhammad Atiqur Rah Ansari and Eslam Adly and Mohammed Shobrak} } @article {94288, title = {A new species of the genus Amyrsidea (Phthiraptera: Amblycera: Menoponidae) parasitizing domestic chickens in Saudi Arabia}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {4238}, year = {2017}, month = {Feb-03-2017}, pages = {253-257}, abstract = {

Amyrsidea Ewing, 1927 is a genus of chewing lice comprising 52 species, divided into five subgenera: Amyrsidea sensu stricto, Argimenopon Eichler, 1947, Cracimenopon Carriker, 1954, Desumenopon Carriker, 1954 and Numidimenopon Scharf \& Price, 1977 (see Price et al. 2003: 86), which parasitise a wide range of hosts belonging to the avian order Galliformes (see Price et al. 2003: 321). Species of Amyrsidea can be distinguished from species of Menacanthus Neumann, 1912-the other menoponid genus with species parasitic on the same hosts-by lacking ventral spinous processes in the head (Scharf \& Price 1977: 815). Revisions of all subgenera and species of Amyrsidea, including keys for their identification, were published by Scharf \& Price (1977, 1983) and Scharf \& Emerson (1983, 1984).

}, issn = {1175-5326 (Print), 1175-5334 (online)}, doi = {10.11646/zootaxa.4238.210.11646/zootaxa.4238.2.5}, url = {http://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/issue/view/zootaxa.4238.2}, author = {Azzam Alahmed and Y. N. Aldryhim and Mohammed Shobrak and Mohamed Gamal El-D Nasser} } @article {94270, title = {New host/parasite record for very rare chewing louse Cuculotogaster arabicus (Clay, 1938) (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera) on endemic mountain partridges of Arabian Peninsula}, journal = {Parasitology Research}, volume = {115}, year = {2016}, month = {Jan-11-2016}, pages = {4433 - 4436}, abstract = {

The endemic avifauna of Arabia is unique and char- acteristic through the whole region. Little is known about these birds and their ectoparasites. The Arabian partridge Alectoris melanocephala (R\üppell, 1835) and Philby\’s par- tridge Alectoris philbyi Lowe, 1934 are two endemic species which are distributed through the Sarawat Mountains in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Captive breeding population of these birds were examined for chewing lice at the National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) near Ta\’if. Only one rare species of louse, Cuculotogaster arabicus (Clay 1938), was found to infest these birds. The occurrence of such species is consid- ered a first record of the genus Cuculotogaster from Saudi Arabia, and the association of C. arabicus with Philby\’s par- tridge is considered a new host/parasite association. The clear diagnostic characters, high definition photos, and drawing of male genitalia are available through this paper.

}, issn = {0932-0113}, doi = {10.1007/s00436-016-5219-7}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00436-016-5219-7}, author = {Mohamed Gamal El-D Nasser and Azzam Alahmed and Mohammed Shobrak} } @article {68938, title = {Chewing lice (Phthiraptera) infesting breeding Suliformes (Aves: Aequornithes) of the Arabian Peninsula}, journal = {African Invertebrates}, volume = {56}, year = {2015}, month = {29 December 2015}, pages = {709-717}, abstract = {

Despite the large diversity of the migratory and resident avifauna of the Arabian Peninsula, relatively few species have been sampled for chewing lice. In this study, three breeding species of Suliformes, Phalacrocorax nigrogularis Ogilvie-Grant \& Forbes, Sula dactylatra Lesson and Sula leucogaster (Boddaert) were examined for chewing lice. Four species of chewing lice were identified, two from the suborder Amblycera (Eidmanniella albescens (Piaget, 1880) and Eidmanniella nancyae Ryan \& Price, 1969) and two from the suborder Ischnocera (Pectinopygus socotranus Timmermann, 1964 and Pectinopygus sulae (Rudow, 1869)). Diagnostic characters, examined and other known hosts, an identification key, and images of hosts and chewing lice are provided.

}, keywords = {Amblycera, Booby., Chewing lice, cormorant, Ischnocera, Oman, Saudi Arabia}, url = {http://africaninvertebrates.org/ojs/index.php/AI/article/view/406}, author = {Mohamed Gamal El-D Nasser and Azzam Alahmed and Ansari, Mohammad Javed and Mohammed Shobrak} } @article {68919, title = {Little known chewing lice (Phthiraptera) infesting crab plover Dromas ardeola Paykull, 1805 (Charadriiformes: Dromadidae) from the Red Sea}, journal = {Acta Tropica}, volume = {150}, year = {2015}, month = {Jan-10-2015}, pages = {171 - 175}, abstract = {

Scanty information is available for many species of chewing lice of marine birds. Through this work we investigated one of most characteristic marine bird for chewing lice. Seven individuals of crab plovers Dro- mas ardeola Paykull, 1805 were trapped using standard mist nets on Humr Island in Farasan Archipelago, Saudi Arabia. Two species of chewing lice were found to infest these birds: Actornithophilus ardeolae Timmermann, 1954 of suborder Amblycera and Quadraceps brunneus (Nitzsch in Giebel, 1866) of sub- order Ischnocera. Diagnostic characters, data of specimens examined, high definition photos and host distribution map are provided through this paper.

}, keywords = {Actornithophilus ardeolae, Chewing lice, Crab plover, Quadraceps brunneus, Saudi Arabia}, issn = {0001706X}, doi = {10.1016/j.actatropica.2015.07.025}, url = {http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0001706X15300735}, author = {Azzam Alahmed and Mohammed Shobrak and Kheir, Salah and Mohamed Gamal El-D Nasser} } @article {68905, title = {New records of species of Saemundssonia (Insecta: Phthiraptera: Philopteridae) infesting breeding terns in the Arabian Peninsula, with notes on their phylogeny and ecology}, journal = {Parasitology Research}, volume = {114}, year = {2015}, month = {Jan-07-2015}, pages = {2587 - 2597}, abstract = {

Six species of terns, which breed on the Arabian Peninsula, were examined for head chewing lice of the genus Saemundssonia in four different islands around the coasts of Saudi Arabia, both in the Red Sea and in the Arabian Gulf. Four louse species were collected: Saemundssonia laticaudata, Saemundssonia melanocephalus, Saemundssonia meridiana and Saemundssonia sternae, of which three are recorded for the first time from this region. Also, we record three new host-louse associations for the world\—Saemundssonia laticaudata and Saemundssonia sternae from white-cheeked terns and Saemundssonia melanocephalus from Saunders\’s terns\—including a host-switch event of Saemundssonia laticaudata on white-cheeked terns in the Karan Island popu- lation. Gene bank data for the COI gene from seven species of Saemundssonia that infest marine birds were used to propose evolutionary trees using two different statistical methods: max- imum parsimony (MP) and neighbour joining (NJ). The result indicated that the tree which was produced by NJ is likely to be\ more accurate as it appeared more compatible with hosts\’ phy- logeny. The trees indicate relationships between tern Saemundssonia and congeneric species from other marine birds, especially from gulls. An ANOVA was also conducted to test the mean parasite load for each tern species studied, and results indicate that there is a relation between louse loads and colonization behaviour of the hosts. Data from lice examined and illustrations of lice and their hosts are also included.

}, issn = {0932-0113}, doi = {10.1007/s00436-015-4463-6}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00436-015-4463-6}, author = {Mohammed Shobrak and Azzam Alahmed and Ricardo L. Palma and Almalki, Mohammed and Mohamed Gamal El-D Nasser} } @article {al2014chewing, title = {Chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Amblycera, Ischnocera) from Red Sea gulls with new host-parasite records}, journal = {Zootaxa}, volume = {3790}, number = {4}, year = {2014}, pages = {567{\textendash}576}, abstract = {

Knowledge about chewing lice from marine birds of the Red Sea is minimal. Five species of gulls were examined for
chewing lice in three different localities of the Saudi Arabian Red Sea coast. Two gull species were examined for lice for
the first time (Larus armenicus Buturlin, 1934 and Larus michahellis Naumann, 1840) and their lice represent new hostlouse
associations. Four species and two subspecies of lice were identified from 159 specimens collected. Actornithophilus
piceus lari (Packard, 1870) and Austromenopon transversum (Denny, 1842) (suborder: Amblycera), and Quadraceps
punctatus (Burmeister, 1838) and Saemundssonia lari (O. Fabricius, 1780) (suborder: Ischnocera) were recorded for the
first time from Saudi Arabia and Red Sea birds. Taxonomic and ecological notes, type hosts, data on specimens examined,
collecting localities, an identification key, and photographs of each species and subspecies are given.

}, keywords = {Actornithophilus, Amblycera, Austromenopon, Chewing lice, gulls, Ischnocera, new host-parasite records, Phthiraptera, Quadraceps, Red Sea, Saemundssonia, Saudi Arabia}, url = {http://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.3790.4.5}, author = {Azzam Alahmed and Mohammed Shobrak and Mohamed Gamal El-D Nasser} } @article {68839, title = {Identification key for chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Amblycera, Ischnocera) infesting the Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) with one new country record and new host record for Saudi Arabia}, journal = {Turkish Journal of Zoology}, volume = {39}, year = {2015}, month = {January 2015}, pages = {88-94}, type = {Research Article}, abstract = {

The amblyceran and ischnoceran lice removed from the Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus L.) collected at the Riyadh bird\ market, and other specimens available in the King Saud University Museum of Arthropods, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, were identified.\ Amyrsidea minuta Emerson, a new country record, and Goniodes dissimilis Denny were found infesting the Indian Peafowl in Saudi\ Arabia. Goniodes dissimilis is recorded for the first time from this bird species, along with Menacanthus stramineus (Nitzsch), the wellknown\ chicken body louse. All previous records of the 12 species of chewing louse reported from the Indian Peafowl are reviewed.
An identification key for the 13 species is given with taxonomic notes. Additionally, a new photo-editing technique for chewing louse\ images is noted.

}, keywords = {Indian Peafowl, Photo-editting, Saudi Arabia}, doi = {10.3906/zoo-1312-44}, url = {https://journals.tubitak.gov.tr/zoology/issues/zoo-15-39-1/zoo-39-1-11-1312-44.pdf}, author = {Mohamed Gamal El-D Nasser and Azzam Alahmed and Mohammed Shobrak and Y. N. Aldryhim} } @article {68764, title = {First records of the chewing lice (Phthiraptera) associated with European Bee Eater (Merops apiaster) in Saudi Arabia}, journal = {Journal of the Egyptian Society of Parasitology}, volume = {42}, year = {2012}, pages = {525 {\textendash} 533}, abstract = {

The European bee-eater (Merops apiaster) migrates through Saudi Arabia annu- ally. A total of 25 individuals of this species were captured from three localities in Riyadh and Ta\&$\#$39;if. Three species of chewing lice were identified from these birds and newly added to list of Saudi Arabia parasitic lice fauna from 160 lice individu- als, Meromenopon meropis of suborder Amblycera, Brueelia apiastri and Mero- poecus meropis of suborder Ischnocera.
The characteristic feature, identification keys, data on the material examined, synonyms, photo, type and type locality are provide to each species.

}, keywords = {Amblycera, Chewing lice, European bee-eater, Ischnocera, Merops apiaster, Saudi Arabia.}, url = {https://phthiraptera.myspecies.info/sites/phthiraptera.info/files/68764.pdf}, author = {Azzam Alahmed and Mohamed Gamal El-D Nasser and Mohammed Shobrak and Bilal Dik} }