TY - JOUR T1 - Diptera Carnoidea of the Maltese Islands JF - Bulletin of the Entomological Society of Malta Y1 - 2012 A1 - Ebejer, MJ SP - 73 EP - 76 KW - Carnidae KW - Malta AB -

An account is given of the families in the Carnoidea (Diptera: Schizophora) that have not been recorded previously from Malta. These are Braulidae, one species, Canacidae, one species, Carnidae, two species and Milichiidae, seven species.

VL - 5 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Reproductive anatomy and fecundity estimation of the haematophagous ectoparasite Carnus hemapterus JF - Parasitology Research Y1 - 2012 A1 - Valera, Francisco A1 - Zidkova, Lenka SP - 1733 EP - 1739 KW - Carnidae KW - Spain AB - The dynamics of host-parasite interactions depends to a large extent on the effect of host responses on parasite fitness. An increased research effort is currently being invested in the study of host influence on parasite fitness both at a population and at an individual level even though basic information (e.g. the reproductive anatomy of parasites) is frequently missing. Here, we study for the first time the reproductive system of the Diptera Carnus hemapterus, a 2-mm long, highly mobile haematophagous fly parasitizing nestlings of a broad variety of bird species. Although this species is poorly known, it is being increasingly used for the study of host-parasite interactions. We also assess the reliability of a method to estimate fecundity based on the number of laid eggs per gravid female and analyse the effect of body size on fecundity estimates. Our results show that carnid flies are synovigenic, so that both the number of laid eggs at a given moment and the egg load represent only a fraction of the true potential fecundity. Moreover, laid eggs are probably a fraction of the number of mature eggs ready to be laid since females withheld seemingly mature eggs at oviposition. A high proportion of pregnant females did not lay eggs, and the number of eggs laid per pregnant female varied remarkably. The latter is explained partly by a positive relationship with body size (thorax length and abdomen width). Caution is needed when using the number of laid eggs as a shortcut estimation of fecundity in C. hemapterus. We propose some improvements to the method for assessing Carnus fertility. VL - 110 SN - 0932-0113 UR - ://ZOOREC:ZOOR14807049365 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Parasites and Pathogens of Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis): A Field Survey of a Population Nesting Within a Grass-Dominated Agricultural Habitat in Georgia, USA, with a Review of Previous Records JF - Comparative Parasitology Y1 - 2012 A1 - Carleton, Renee E. A1 - Mertins, James W. A1 - Yabsley, Michael J. SP - 30 EP - 43 KW - Carnidae KW - Georgia AB - The parasite community associated with a population of eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis) nesting in a grassdominated habitat in northern Georgia, U.S.A., was surveyed by live examination of adults and nestlings; examination of feces, nesting materials, and blood smears; necropsy; and polymerase chain reaction techniques. During the course of 5 breeding seasons, we found 10 macroparasite species, which included I tick species (lxodes brunneus), 1 louse species (Philopterus sialii), 1 species of hematophagous mite (Dermanvssus prognephilus), and 5 other species not previously reported from eastern bluebirds, including an acanthocephalan (Plagiorhynchus cylindraceus), a species of strongyloid nematode, a cestode (Hymenolepis sp.), a nestling bird fly (Carnus floridensis), and a nest mite (Campephilocoptes sp.); a description of feather mites associated with the population was not included in this report. Overall prevalence of macroparasites was 16.1%. We also detected 5 species of protistan parasites, including Haemoproteus fallisi, Plasmodium relic/urn, Trypanosoma avium, and 2 others, an Atoxoplasma sp. and a Sarcocystis sp., which represent new host parasite records. One bird tested positive for West Nile virus and for St. Louis encephalitis virus. More than 50% of the birds examined were infected with 1 or more microparasites. Prevalence of microparasites varied by examination method employed. An updated list of known parasites of eastern bluebirds gathered from published literature and database searches is provided. VL - 79 SN - 1525-2647 UR - ://ZOOREC:ZOOR14804028309 ER -