POPULATION DIVERSITY OF CHEWING LICE (PHTHIRAPTERA) INFESTING DUCKS AND GEESE (FAMILY ANATIDAE) IN SOUTHEAST PARTS OF PAKISTAN

  The birds and chewing lice relationship depends on environmental conditions that cause morbidity by feeding on feathers, irritating them, hence affecting their economic importance. In the present work, the statistical taxonomical analysis of the chewing lice was done using the population distribution, prevalence and host-parasite interaction. The chewing lice (Phthiraptera) were planned to study the population burden and infestation rate in ducks and geese in local water bodies in Sindh. The study was conducted between September 2018 and August 2021. Total of 124 birds, including Anas acuta, A. crecca, A. platyrhynchos, A. querquedula, Aythya ferina, A. fuligula, A. nyroca, Anser albifrons, A. anser, Marmaronetta angustirostris and Spatula clypeata were used. Amongst 124 host birds, only 58 birds were found infested with 46.77% prevalence of chewing lice. A total of 405 chewing lice were collected among them 137 males, 178 females and 90 nymphs were recovered, including 8 species, Anaticola crassicornis (Scopoli, 1763), A. mergiserrati (de Geer, 1778), Anatoecous dentatus (Scopoli, 1763), A. icterodes (Nitzsch, 1818), Holomenopon fatemae (Naz and Rizvi, 2012), H. leucoxanthum (Burmeister, 1838), Trinoton anserinum (Fabricius, 1805) and T. qurequdulae (Linnaeus, 1758). The highest abundance and frequency (%) of chewing lice recorded for Anaticola crassicornis were 125 and 30.86% respectively, whereas the lowest for Anatoecus dentatus were 12 and 2.96% respectively. Among birds, the highest host-wise prevalence of lice infestation was found in A. ferina (58.33%), whereas the least prevalence was in A. albifrons (22.22%). Among lice species, the highest mean intensity was recorded by Anaticola crassicornis (13.89±3.33) and the least mean intensity was for Holomenopon fatemae mean intensity (2.6±0.4). It was also the first collective report on the chewing lice population burden on anatid birds in the Sindh region of Pakistan.