Gastrointestinal and external parasites of Enicognathus ferrugineus and Enicognathus leptorhynchus (Aves, Psittacidae) in Chile

Abstract

Parasite species are important components of biodiversity, as they provide valuable information about host health, evolutionary relationships, population structures, trophic interactions, the existence of environmental stresses, and climatic conditions. With the aim of describing the parasites associated with parrots of the genus Enicognathus Gray 1840 from central Chile, thirteen austral parakeets, Enicognathus ferrugineus, and five slender-billed parakeets, E. leptorhynchus, were examined between September 2007 and March 2014. The prevalence of ectoparasites and endoparasites was 88.9% and 22.2%, respectively. On eleven of the E. ferrugineus (84.6%) analyzed, and on all of the E. leptorhynchus analyzed (100%), five feather mite species (Pararalichus hastifolia, Genoprotolichus major, Protonyssus sp., Fainalges sp., and Eurydiscalges sp.) were collected. On ten E. ferrugineus (76.9%) and two E. leptorhynchus (40%), the chewing lice Heteromenopon macrurum, Psittacobrossus patagoni, and Paragoniocotes enicognathidis were collected. The nematode Capillaria plagiaticia was collected from three E. ferrugineus (23.1%), and the nematode Ascaridia hermaphrodita was found in one E. leptorhynchus (20%). The presence of C. plagiaticia, Protonyssus sp., Fainalges sp., and Eurydiscalges sp. from the two Enicognathus spp. are new records for Chile and represent new parasite-host associations.

Gastrointestinal parasites in captive and free-living wild birds in Goiania Zoo

“…These authors also reported that capillariosis is the main parasitic disease that affects these birds in captivity in Brazil and that it can be fatal to toucans. However, the Capillaria species found in the to psittacids (Kajerová and Baruš, 2005), being reported from different countries and continents (Weekes, 1982;Valdebenito et al, 2015). Cubas et al (2014) reported that Capillaria columbae Rudolphi, 1819 and Capillaria obsignata Madsen, 1945 being controlled with hygiene measures similar to those already mentioned for other parasites, and administration of anticoccidial drugs (Taylor et al, 2016).…”

Two new feather mites of the genusProtonyssusTrouessart, 1916 (Acariformes: Xolalgidae) from Brazilian parakeets (Psittacidae), with a key to species

“…The two additional Protonyssus species were each described from a single host species: Protonyssus brevis (Trouessart, 1885) from Psittacula lunulata (=Bolbopsittacus lunulatus, Psittaculidae) from the Philippines, and Protonyssus proctorae Mironov et al 2005, from the extinct Conuropsis carolinensis, from North America (Trouessart 1885(Trouessart , 1916Gaud 1980;Gaud and Atyeo 1981;Mironov et al 2005). An undetermined species was recently reported from the two species of Enicognathus, E. ferrugineus (Statius Müller, 1776) and E. leptorhynchus (King, 1831) in Chile (Valdebenito et al 2015).…”

Parasites of the Shiny Cowbird, Molothrus bonariensis, and the Austral Blackbird, Curaeus curaeus, (Passeriformes: Icteridae) in Chile

“…Although ectoparasites are generally highly species-specific, lice tend to be very mobile, with many accidental reports, e.g. in birds of prey (see discussion on Heteromenopon macrurum in Valdebenito et al, 2015). Therefore, it is interesting that these phylogenetically closely related icterid birds (subfamily Agelaiinae) (Remsen et al, 2016) did not share a higher number of ectoparasites.…”