@article {40375, title = {The relation between colony size, breeding density and ectoparasite loads of adult European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster)}, journal = {Ecoscience}, volume = {5}, year = {1998}, month = {1998}, pages = {156 - 163}, abstract = {

The numbers of chewing lice were determined for adult bee- eaters and related to different measures of breeding density. Bee-eaters are infested by three species of chewing lice (Meropoecus meropis, Meromenopon meropis and Brueelia apiastri). Meropoecus meropis is the most common species and 94\% of all adult bee-eaters were infested. This species also shows a significant variation between colonies. namely, infestation rate increases with colony size. Using different measures to describe colony size, a stepwise regression analysis showed that inter-nest distance is the best predictor for ectoparasite load. Average-infestation rate per individual decreased significantly with increasing inter-nest distance. This relationship was even more pronounced for the maximum number of parasites found within a colony and with the variation in parasite load among members of a colony (controlling for number of breeding pairs). There was no difference in ectoparasite load between the sexes and no general patterns related to the position of the breeding site within the colony.

}, keywords = {barn, bee eaters, Behavior, biology, Chewing lice, coloniality, colony, cost, ecology, ectoparasite, Europe, fitness, host, lice, load, mechanism, parasite, populations, reproduction, size, swallow}, url = {http://www.jstor.org/stable/42902364?seq=1$\#$page_scan_tab_contents}, author = {Hoi,H. and Darolov{\'a},A. and Konig,C. and Kri{\v s}tof{\'\i}k,J{\'a}n} } @article {40255, title = {Ectoparasites of bee-eater (Merops apiaster) and arthropods in its nests}, journal = {Biol{\'o}gia}, volume = {51}, year = {1996}, month = {1996}, pages = {557 - 570}, abstract = {

We studied the abundance of ectoparasites of young and adult bee-eaters and the arthropod fauna in their nests. The feather lice Meropoecus meropis and Meromenopon meropis were found on both adult and young bee-eaters while chicks were additionally parasitized by the fly Carnus hemapterus. The distribution of these parasites was characterized by a descending logarithmic curve. The nest fauna consisted mostly of parasitic mites and predaceous beetles. Mites were represented by a large number of Androlaelaps casalis, a facultative ectoparasite of birds. On the contrary, the blood-sucking mites Dermanyssus hirundinis, D. gallinae and Ornithonyssus sylviarum were little numerous and the occurrence of other mites was only occasional. Beetles were represented by a large number of the nidicolous staphylinide Haploglossa nidicola which was accompanied by a low number of the nidicolous histeride Gnathoncus buyssoni. Occurrence of H. nidicola and A. casalis was moderately positively correlated. Large numbers of Dermestes spp. larvae occurred in the nests, too. Other beetle species occurred occasionally in the nest holes. Ticks and fleas occurred sporadically and were probably introduced by adult birds. They did not develop there. On the contrary, some flies, whose larvae had suitable conditions, developed in some nests. Spiders, pseudoscorpions and bugs were recorded only in a small number of species and individuals.

}, keywords = {apiaster, bee eater, Beetles, Diptera, feather, fleas, flies, lice, Merops, mesostigmatic, mites, nests, populations, pseudoscorpions, Slovakia, South, spiders, ticks}, author = {Kri{\v s}tof{\'\i}k,J{\'a}n and Masan,P. and Sustek,Z.} } @article {40162, title = {Controlled release insecticide devices for protection of sheep against head strike caused by Lucilia cuprina}, journal = {Veterinary Parasitology}, volume = {52}, year = {1994}, month = {1994}, pages = {113 - 128}, abstract = {

The effectiveness of polymer matrix tags containing (w/w) 8.5\% cypermethrin, 7.5\% flucythrinate, 13.7\% tetrachlorvinphos or 20.0\% diazinon in protecting sheep against head strike by the sheep blowfly (Lucilia cuprina Wiedemann) was investigated in larval implant, fly cage and field studies. Tags impregnated with cypermethrin reduced the total number of egg masses deposited on the heads of sheep in fly cage studies over a 6 week period by 7 3.3\% compared with no treatment. Tags impregnated with flucythrinate reduced the number of egg masses by 25.3\% over 21 weeks but there were no significant differences (P \< 0.05) between treated and untreated sheep at individual exposures. Egg masses were found on the majority of tagged sheep and no protection was provided against implants with first instar L. cuprina larvae by either cypermethrin or flucythrinate tags. Tags impregnated with diazinon gave longer protection than treatment with a liquid formulation containing 400 ppm diazinon in larval implant, fly cage and field studies. Over a 12 week period in field studies, 6.6\% of rams treated with diazinon tags became struck compared with 30\% treated by diazinon jetting, 35.7\% treated with plastic tags not impregnated with insecticide and 24.2\% of untreated rams. When the rams were exposed to high populations of L. cuprina in an exposure house from 13 to 18 weeks after treatment, 3.3\% of rams treated with diazinon tags, 57.1\% treated by diazinon jetting, 43.8\% treated with plastic tags and 23.5\% of untreated rams became struck. Most strikes in the diazinon tagged sheep occurred at sites which were not contacted by the tags. Tags impregnated with tetrachlorvinphos reduced the number of strikes in comparison with no treatment in larval implant and fly cage studies but the results were inconsistent and not as good as those from diazinon tags. It is concluded that well designed controlled release devices that reliably contact the wool on the heads of sheep at sites of flystrike risk and which are able to withstand damage from rams fighting may be able to give prolonged protection against head strike.

}, keywords = {controlled, Damalinia ovis, diazinon, flucythrinate, head, lice, lucilia cuprina, populations, sheep arthropoda, strike, tags, technology, tetrachlorvinphos}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-4017(94)90041-8}, url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0304401794900418?via\%3Dihub}, author = {Peter J. James and Mitchell,H. K. and Cockrum,K. S. and Ancell,P. M. C.} } @article {39778, title = {Genetic structure of the Bovicola ovis (Mallophaga : Trichodectidae) in southwestern Australia}, journal = {Environmental Entomology}, volume = {28}, year = {1999}, month = {1999}, pages = {675 - 680}, abstract = {

The sheep biting louse, Bovicola ovis (Schrank), is an economically important, worldwide ectoparasite of sheep. In Australia, up to 30\% of sheep flocks are infested with lice. The usual method of control has been synthetic pyrethroids applied as pour-on along the back of the sheep, but treatment failures have become widespread since 1985 because of the development of resistance. We used allozyme markers to study the distribution of genetic variation within and among populations of lice on different farms in Western Australia. Genetic variation within populations was similar to previously reported values for other ectoparasitic arthropods. Heterozygote deficiencies were found at 1 locus ina number of population acid another 2 loci in 1 other population. However, another variable locus conformed to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and there was little evidence of extensive linkage disequilibrium between loci, Further studies are necessary to establish the breeding system. Genetic differences among populations were not related to geographic separation, which is consistent with an island model of population structure. A small but significant proportion (2.8\%) of the total genetic variation was distributed among populations\&$\#$39; equivalent under the island model to a gene flow of 8.7 individuals exchanged per generation. The implications of this result are discussed in terms of controlling and managing synthetic pyrethroid resistance in sheep biting lice.

}, keywords = {differentiation, Evolution, flow, frequencies, genes, genetics, insecticide, lice, Phthiraptera, populations, Pyrethrum, resistance, sheep, snail}, url = {http://www.phthiraptera.info/sites/phthiraptera.info/files/37959.pdf}, author = {Lymbery,Alan J. and Dadour,Ian R.} } @article {39397, title = {Pocket gophers and chewing lice: a test of the maternal transmission hypothesis}, journal = {Molecular Ecology}, volume = {7}, year = {1998}, month = {1998}, pages = {1065 - 1069}, abstract = {

The life-history traits of pocket gophers and their chewing lice suggest that there is little opportunity for transmission of parasites among pocket gophers, with the exception of transmission from mother to offspring. Herein, we test the hypothesis that lice are transmitted maternally by using an indirect approach that compares the distribution of louse populations to the distribution of mitochondrial DNA haplotypes in the pocket gophers. Comparison of the chewing louse distributions to the distribution of mtDNA haplotypes for the gophers revealed no significant concordance, and thus falsifies the maternal transmission hypothesis.

}, keywords = {coevolution, colonization, geomydoecus, Geomyidae, host, Mallophaga, mitochondrial dna, mtDNA, parasite, populations, RFLP, thomomys bottae, trichodectidae}, url = {http://www.phthiraptera.info/sites/phthiraptera.info/files/0842.pdf}, author = {James W. Demastes and Mark S. Hafner and David J. Hafner and Theresa A. Spradling} }