Contribution to the knowledge of ectoparasites of swallows in a semi arid region of Algeria

An inventory of ectoparasites was carried out on 120 young House martin living (Delichon urbica) in 18 nests in Tebessa province (South-Eastern Algeria). A total of 104 samples were collected and identified, nine species of ectoparsites, belonging to two classes: Arachnida and Insecta with relative abundance of 21.14% and 78.86% respectively. The identified species are: Ixodes lividus, Ixodes frontalis, Ceratophyllus gallinae, Ceratophyllus hirundinis, Callopsylla sp., Ceratophyllus sp., Xenopsylla sp., Stenepteryx hirundinis and Menacanthus sp. The predominant species of total ectoparasites was Ixodes lividus in abundance 17.30% followed by eratophyllus hirundinis and Xenopsylla sp. with 15.38%, and other species whose abundance varies between 14.42% and 3.84%. The distribution of ectoparasite groups on the young body of Delichonurbica is irregular, the lice have a wide distribution, they are found on the belly feathers (61.16%). However, ticks are mainly localized on the wings (100%) and fleas are mainly found on the ears (54.84%) and nasal cavities (42.92%)