2026, Cilt 42, e0481
Checklist of avian chewing lice (Psocodea: Phthiraptera) in Türkiye and a host-parasite list. I-Amblycera
Bilal Dik1, Gokhan Eren2
1Independent Researcher, Hatipler Neighborhood, 264th Street, Premium Life Site, Block A, No. 7, 07600 Manavgat, Antalya, Türkiye
2Department of Aquatic Animal Health, Mediterranean Fisheries Research, Production and Training Institute, General Directorate of Agricultural Research and Policies, Antalya, Türkiye
Keywords: Bird parasites, chewing louse diversity, faunistic records, host-parasite interactions, parasite diversity
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This study was carried out to report amblyceran chewing lice fauna of domestic and wild birds in Türkiye. For this purpose, all references relevant to chewing lice published to date in Türkiye were checked. According to the references about the chewing lice of birds in Türkiye, 245 bird species belonging to 23 orders have been examined until now. One hundred and thirty of them were found infested with at least one amblyceran louse species. Totally, 102 unique chewing louse species in Laemobothriidae, Menoponidae and Ricinidae were detected on the infested birds. Although 245 out of 508 (48.2%) of Türkiye's avifauna have been examined for lice, no louse specimen has been found in many of these bird species. On the other hand, it seems very difficult to examine some of the bird species that have not yet been studied due to the restrictions of the General Directorate of Nature Conservation and National Parks, and the difficulty of accessing those species. However, research in this topic should continue, particularly focusing on bird species that have not been studied or on which no louse has been detected, in order to determine their lice fauna.