Author: Aftab Ahmad and Gaurav Sharma
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The helmeted guineafowl, Numida meleagris (Linnaeus, 1758) was examined for the presence of phthirapteran ectoparasites. Three phthirapteran species i.e. Menopon gallinae (Linnaeus, 1758), Goniocotes maculatus Taschenberg, 1882 and Lipeurus tropicalis Peters, 1931 were recorded during the study from the fifteen aforesaid hosts. The prevalence of all these three species i.e. M. gallinae, G. maculatus, and L. tropicalis, on helmeted guineafowl, Numida meleagris, was 60.0, 33.3, and 46.7%, respectively. The mean and median intensity of the aforesaid species were recorded at 51.67, 45.0 (range 24-94); 33.20, 29.0 (range 16-72); and 43.57, 48.0 (range 19-72). The females were found to out number the males (M: F ratios 1:1.31, 1:1.17 and 1:1.54) and the nymph population was also found to exceed the adult population (A: N ratios 1:1.26, 1:1.55 and 1:1.31).
Phthiraptera, Lice, Prevalence, Mean intensity, Median intensity, Numida meleagris
The prevalence, mean intensity, and sample mean abundance of M. gallinae were comparatively higher (60.0 %, 51.67, 31.0 range-24-94) than those of L. tropicalis (46.7 %, 43.57, 20.33 range-19-72) and G. maculatus (33.3 %, 33.20, 11.07 range-16-72). However, the median intensity of L. tropicalis (48.0) remained higher than the other two species, M. gallinae (45.0) and G. maculatus (29.0). The sex ratios of all three species were dominant in all three species (M. gallinae-1:1.31, G. maculates-1:1.17, and L. tropicalis-1:1.54), and the nymphal population exceeded the adult population (M. gallinae-1:1.26, G. maculatus-1:1.55, and L. tropicalis-1:1.31).
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