Ricinidae

The Ricinidae are a family of a larger group Amblycera of the chewing lice. All species are relatively large bodied (relative to host size)[2] avian ectoparasites. They typically exhibit low prevalence (proportion of infested hosts)[3] and low intensity (number of parasites per infested hosts). They feed on host blood which is atypical in chewing lice.[4] Two or three genera are recognized.

Ricinidae
Ricinus bombycillae
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Psocodea
Suborder: Troctomorpha
Infraorder: Nanopsocetae
Parvorder: Phthiraptera
Clade: Amblycera
Family: Ricinidae
Genera[1]
  • Ricinus
  • Trochiliphagus
  • Trochiloecetes

The genus Ricinus (65 species) parasitize small or medium sized Passeriformes.[5][6] (Note that Ricinus is also a valid genus name in plant taxonomy.)

The genus Trochiliphagus (13 species) is very similar to the former one, considered to be identical with that by some authors,[7] but infest hummingbirds.

The genus Trochiloecetes (30 species) also parasitize hummingbirds, but – unlike the former genera – their infestations are usually restricted to the head and neck of the host.

The latter two genera constitute the most important members of hummingbirds' parasite fauna, although their ecology is poorly understood.[3]

References
  1. Johnson, Kevin P.; Smith, Vincent S. (2021). "Psocodea species file online, Version 5.0". Retrieved 2021-11-05.
  2. Harnos, A; Lang, Z; Petrás, D; Bush, SE; Szabo, K; Rozsa, L (2017). "Size matters for lice on birds: coevolutionary allometry of host and parasite body size". Evolution. 71(2): 421–431. doi:10.1111/evo.13147. open access
  3. Oniki-Willis, Yoshika; Willis, Edwin O; Lopes, Leonardo E; Rozsa, Lajos (2023). "Museum-based research on the lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) infestations of hummingbirds (Aves: Trochilidae) – prevalence, genus richness, and parasite associations". Diversity-Basel. 15: 54. doi:10.3390/d15010054. open access
  4. Clay, T (1949). "Piercing mouth-parts in the biting lice (Mallophaga)". Nature. 164(4171): 617.
  5. Valan, Miroslav; Sychra, Oldrich; Literak, Ivan (2016). "Chewing lice of genus Ricinus (Phthiraptera, Ricinidae) deposited at the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, Russia, with description of a new species". Parasite. 23: 7. doi:10.1051/parasite/2016007. ISSN 1776-1042. PMC 4763114. PMID 26902646. open access
  6. Bernard C. Nelson (1972): A Revision of the New World Species of Ricinus (Mallophaga). Occurring on Passeriformes (Aves), University of California Publications in Entomology Volume 68, University of California Press, Berkeley & Los Angeles, ISBN 0-520-09412-3 PDF open access
  7. G Rheinwald (2007): The position of Trochiliphagus Carriker within the Ricinidae (Insecta: Phthiraptera). Bonner Zoologische Beiträge 55, 37–46.


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