The morphology of Colpocephalum pectinatum (Phthiraptera: Amblycera: Menoponidae) under scanning electron microscopy

Highlights:

•  We analyzed the morphology of Colpocephalum pectinatum under SEM.
•   We characterized sensorial structures, particularly of mouth parts, antennae and palpi.
•   Further studies are needed to fully understand their function and taxonomic importance.

Here, we describe under scanning electron microscopy (SEM) the morphology of Colpocephalum pectinatum (Phthiraptera, Menoponidae), an ectoparasite found in burrowing owls, Athene cunicularia. We devote particular attention to the morphology of the main structures of the head (antennae and mouth-parts) and legs (tarsi and femoral ctenidia). Moreover, we describe the main peripheral sensory organs, located in the labial palpi and the distal end of antennae. We also detected that the structure of antennae and antennal sensilla arrangement are very similar to that described for other Colpocephalum and Menoponid species, and we discuss the function of each type of sensilla. We suggest that SEM studies combined with other microscopy and physiological techniques could be useful for elucidate the function of each structure, lice behaviour, as well as their taxonomy.