Infrapopulation genetic variation of the oioxenous, hermaphroditic flatworm Nasicola klawei (Monogenea: Capsalidae) infecting the nasal cavities of nine yellowfin tuna, Thunnus albacares, from the Gulf of Mexico was analyzed using the first internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP), ITS1 sequencing, and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). Of a ...

The beaks of Darwin's finches and other birds are among the best known examples of adaptive evolution. Beak morphology is usually interpreted in relation to its critical role in feeding. However, the beak also plays an important role in preening, which is the first line of defence against harmful ectoparasites such as feather lice, fleas, bugs, flies, ticks and feather mites. Here, we show a fe...

Adoption occurs frequently in colonial species where both the cost of parasitism and the opportunity for dependent young to find a foster family are typically high. Because ectoparasites show highly aggregated distributions among colony members, we tested two central predictions of the novel hypothesis that adoption is driven by selection on young to reduce ectoparasite load: first, that nest-b...

The mite Varroa destructor is an ectoparasite that is considered a major pest for beekeeping with European honey bees. However, Africanized bee colonies are less threatened by this ectoparasite, because infestation levels remain low in these bees. The low reproductive ability of female mites of the Japanese biotype (J), introduced to Brazil early in the 1970s was initially considered the main f...

Preening is the principle behavioral defense used by birds to combat ectoparasites. Most birds have a small overhang at the tip of their bills that is used to shear through the tough cuticle of ectoparasitic arthropods, making preening much more efficient. Birds may also scratch with their feet to defend against ectoparasites. This is particularly important for removing ectoparasites on the hea...

Lotmaria passim (Kinetoplastea) is considered the most prevalent as well virulent trypanosomatid associated to European honey bee Apis mellifera. We used qPCR screen for presence of this parasite in 57 samples from ten Argentinian provinces, and were able detect its throughout country with 41% testing positive. In a retrospective analysis, we detected L. 73% 2006 showing that flagellate has bee...

Red foxes and golden jackals are the two most abundant wild carnivores of Iran which have the ability to adopt a variety of habitats and human proximity. Despite this, very few investigations on their helminth and none on their external parasites infections have been carried out in Iran. Between 2003 and 2004, a total of 79 jackals and 37 foxes were collected from 3 different climatic zones of ...

Native chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is a livestock animal that widely kept by the community because it very easy to maintain. chickens are used as staple food contains protein. This study aims determine prevalence and intensity of ectoparasite attacks describe types ectoparasites found in native Mandau Duri District, Riau. The research was conducted December 2022-February 2023. random sam...