CHEWING LICE (Phthiraptera) FROM CRESTED CARACARA (Caracara plancus, Falconidae) IN SOUTHERN BRAZIL

This study was carried out to detect chewing lice species occurring on Crested Caracara (Caracara plancus) in Southern Brazil between January 2014 and December 2018. For this aim, the road-kill birds were collected for parasitological studies at the Biology Institute, Department of Microbiology and Parasitology of the Federal University of Pelotas. Fourteen road-kill birds were examined for ectoparasites. The birds were washed with water and detergent for the collection of ectoparasites by filtration using a 150 μm mesh sieve. The samples were separated into pellet and supernatant and were kept in microcentrifuge tubes containing ethyl alcohol 70% for the screening procedures and identification. A total of 794 specimens of lice were collected and examined, presenting the following breakdown by Amblycera suborder: Colpocephalum flavescens (753/94.84%), Laemobothrion vulturis (9/1.13%), and Ischnocera suborder: Caracaricola chimangophilus (30/3.78%) and Lipeurus sp. (2/0.25%). It was found that all the caracara examined were parasitized by one or more species of Phthiraptera, with multiple or moderate level of infestation (101 to 1,000 lice/birds). C. flavescens was the most frequent and abundant species with 100% of the birds parasitized and an average of 53,7 lice/birds.