Ectoparasites associated with a Great Horned Owl nesting population in fragmented landscape of Baja California peninsula, México

Abstract

Ectoparasites are important in avian host population because they can affect health condition, regulate population dynamics and alter interspecific competition. Studies of ectoparasites in wild raptors are scarce and even few have been made in owls. This is the first study of the prevalence and intensity of ectoparasites in Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) fledglings. We studied ectoparasites on fledglings from nests in a fragmented arid landscape at Baja California peninsula, during the breeding seasons of 2015 and 2017. The fledglings of 40 days of age were handled and taken from their nests for the collection of ectoparasites. A total of 81 epizoic species were collected from 36 nestlings from 15 nests, distributed in five orders: Diptera (Icosta americana); Hemiptera (Cimicidae gen. sp.); Phthiraptera (Neohaematopinus sciurinus, Colpocephalum pectinatum); Siphonaptera (Orchopea sp.) and Mesostigmata (Ornihtonysus sylviarum). Likewise, one species of chewing lice (n=5) (Geomydoecus telli) and one species of feather mite (n=7) were also recorded associated with the Great Horned Owl. Five species were hematophagous parasites. Louse fly I. americana and chewing louse C. pectinatum showed the highest levels of prevalence (26.5% and 20.6% respectively), while the hematophagous feather mite Ornihtonysus silviarum presented the higher mean intensity in only one nest (15.5). The flea Orchopea sp. and the chewing louse G. telli and sucking louse N. sciurinus exhibited the lowest values of prevalence and mean intensity; these species have been recorded in association mainly with rodents, so probably they could have been transmitted to the owls when they were captured as preys and taken into their nest. Additionally a bug (Cimicidae gen. sp.) was found in one host. Colpocephalum pectinatum is the first recorded from Great Horned owl, such as new host. The abundance of ectoparasites in one owl nest was independent of their abundance in neighbor nests (Moran´s I = 0.010; z = 0.16, P > 0.05). We discuss the implications of ectoparasitism for a Great Horned owl population in fragmented habitat of the Baja California arid desert.

Ácaros plumícolas (Acariformes: Pterolichoidea y Analgoidea) de México: relaciones huésped- ectosimbionte bajo un enfoque de análisis de redes

“…Del año 2000 a la fecha solamente se han registrado siete trabajos que reportan ácaros plumícolas (Dabert y Skoracki 2004;Montiel-Parra et al 2009;de Oliveira et al 2011;Bolaños-García et al 2018;Mironov et al 2019;Hernández-Velasco et al 2020;Padilla-Aguilar et al 2022). Adicionalmente, durante la búsqueda de artículos se encontraron cuatro géneros (Anisanchus, Allodectes, Rhamphocaulus y Trochilodectes) para el país que no habían sido registrados previamente por Hoffmann y López-Campos (2000) (Park y Atyeo 1971;Peterson y Atyeo 1977).…”

Actualización del listado de piojos (Insecta: Phthiraptera) de México: distribución, riqueza, grado de especificidad y pediculosis humana

“…Nota: Sánchez-Montes et al ( 2013) reportan a M. mexicanus subsimus Goldman, 1938 como hospedero de este piojo en Nuevo León; sin embargo, actualmente este taxón no se reconoce como una subespecie válida (Roskov et al, 2020). Hoplopleura emphereia Kim, 1965 Sinónimo: Hoplopleura ferrisi emphereia (Kim, 1965) (Fahrenholz, 1919), P. cervicalis (Latreille, 1803), P. consobrinus (Piaget, 1880); P. capitis angustus, P. corporis marginatus y P. (Pediculus) humanus angustus (Fahrenholz, 1915); P. capitis maculatus, P. corporis angustus, P. friedenthali, P. humanus chinensis, P. humanus marginatus y P. oblongus (Fahrenholz, 1916); P. corporis nigritarum, P. humanus nigritarum y P. nigritarum (Fabricius, 1805); P. corporis y P. humanus corporis (de Geer, 1778), P. (Pediculus) humanus americanus (Ewing, 1926), P. (Parapediculus) pseudohumanus (Ewing, 1938) Nota: esta asociación es rara, pues este anopluro es propio de roedores (Price et al, 2003), por lo que esta especie de piojo puede ser producto de un traslado de presas al nido (Bolaños-García et al, 2018). Neohaematopinus sp.…”

Phylogenetic analyses reveal bat communities in Northwestern Mexico harbor a high diversity of novel cryptic ectoparasite species

“…Previous bat ectoparasite studies in North America have described the distribution and taxonomic status of bat flies, bugs, and ticks (Bradshaw & Ross, 1961; Graciolli et al, 2007; Jobling, 1938; Usinger, 1966), and their medical importance (Dick et al, 2003; Gill et al, 2004; Steinlein et al, 2001), from a limited number of bat host species. In Mexico, publications have focused on describing species diversity of flies, ticks, and mites (Bolaños‐García et al, 2018; Guzmán‐Cornejo et al, 2017; Pérez et al, 2014); new records of bat flies (Cuxim‐Koyoc et al, 2015; Ramírez‐Martínez et al, 2016; Trujillo‐Pahua & Ibáñez‐Bernal, 2018); ecological relationships between bats and bat flies (Saldaña‐Vázquez et al, 2019; Salinas‐Ramos et al, 2018; Zamora‐Mejías et al, 2020); and Rickettsia presence in soft ticks (Sánchez‐Montes et al, 2016). To our knowledge, there have been no studies of bat bugs in Mexico.…”