Contribution to the knowledge of chewing lice of turkey Meleagris gallopavo domesticus Linnaeus, 1758 (Galliformes: Phasianidae) encountered in Egypt and Saudi Arabia with new records and identification key

Abstract

Despite domestic turkey being widespread around the world, many of their associated ectoparasites have not yet been studied in many parts throughout the globe. In Egypt, only two species of lice, Chelopistes meleagridis (Linnaeus, 1758) and Lipeurus caponis (Linnaeus, 1758) have been recorded associated to the turkey while in Saudi Arabia the bird has not previously examined to chewing lice before. These records of chewing lice on the domestic turkey Meleagris gallopavo domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) in Egypt and Saudi Arabia have been revised. Nine domestic turkeys from two local farms outside Cairo and two birds from the Riyadh bird market, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were examined for chewing lice. A total of 309 specimens of lice were identified. Two species of lice, Menacanthus stramineus Nitzsch, 1818 and Goniodes gigas (Taschenberg, 1879), were recorded for the first time in Egypt. While only Goniodes gigas consider a new recored for Saudi Arabia parasitic fauna. Three additional species, Menopon gallinae (Linnaeus, 1758) and Goniocotes gallinae (De Geer, 1778), and Lipeurus caponis were also collected. We summarize eight species of chewing lice associated with turkeys and provide an identfication key to them. Also, ecological and taxonomic remarks were provided with images for newly recorded species.