Piagetiella
| Piagetiella | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Psocodea |
| Infraorder: | Phthiraptera |
| Family: | Menoponidae |
| Genus: | Piagetiella Neumann, 1906 |
Piagetiella, also known as the pelican and cormorant throat pouch louse, is a genus of parasitic louse in the family Menoponidae.[1]
Description
Piagetiella are parasitic lice that live within the throat pouches of pelicans and cormorants. They feed on blood and skin cells, and often gather in rosette shapes with their heads facing inwards. They can cause hemorrhaging, ulcers, and tissue damage in the oral cavities and pouches of their hosts.[2] Infestations may be transmitted from parent birds to their young when they feed them. Adult Piagetiella typically attach to an ulcer to feed, while secretions and excretions by larvae may cause necrosis and local inflammation. Because the lice occur within the pouch, hosts cannot remove them by preening.[3]
Species
Piagetiella contains the following species:
- Piagetiella titan[4]
- Piagetiella caputincisum[4]
- Piagetiella transitans[4]
- Piagetiella africana[4]
- Piagetiella incomposita[4]
- Piagetiella bursaepelecani[4]
- Piagetiella chilensis[4]
- Piagetiella peralis[4]
References
- ^ "Piagetiella Neumann, 1906". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
- ^ "Lice on Birds in Alberta" (PDF). open.alberta.ca. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-12-03. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
- ^ Overstreet, Robin M.; Curran, Stephen S. (2005). "Parasites of the American White Pelican" (PDF). Gulf and Caribbean Research. 17: 31–48. Bibcode:2005GCRes..17....4O. doi:10.18785/gcr.1701.04. Archived from the original on 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2025-08-26.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Pelican and Cormorant Throat Pouch Lice (Genus Piagetiella)". iNaturalist. Archived from the original on 19 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.