Columbicola Columbae

Pa pe r of:

CO LUMBIC OL A C OLU MBAE

Arranged by : Rizki Dwi Prasetyo 06 07 10 183

DE PAR TM ENT OF PAR ASITO LO GY FA CULTY OF VET ERINA RY M ED ICIN E AIR LAN GG A UNIV ERSITY 2008

COLUMBICOLA COLUMBAE FOREWORD Insects are the main group of six-leg Arthropoda. That is why they also called Hexapoda. Insects are found almost in all environments, except in ocean. Study about this object is called entomology. Because insects have a tough, non-living outer covering or exoskeleton, they cannot grow steadily, but have to grow in stages by periodically shedding the exoskeleton. This process is called moulting or ecdysis. The stages between moults are called instars. The order Phthiraptera has been traditionally divided into two groups according to their different feeding habits: the chewing/biting lice or "Mallophaga", and the Anoplura, colloquially known as the sucking lice. It is commonly assumed that the order is derived from a primitive Pscopteran-like ancestor which became parasitic first on birds. Biting Lice feed mainly on particles of skin, feathers and fur. Some species take blood, sometimes puncturing the skin with their own jaws, but more often feeding at small wounds made when the host birds or animals scratch themselves. Most lice are confined to one host or a group of closely related host species. Some are of great economic importance when they infest domestic poultry or other livestock, but none are directly associate with humans. Chewing lice with their large head and mandibles comprise the largest group with some 2900 species. These are separable into three distinct superfamilies - the Amblycera, Ischnocera and Rhyncophthirina.

Ischnocera confine themselves to feeding on the downy part of feathers and softer fur. Columbicola columbae is one species below the super family ischnocera which has Columbicola as genera. Detail of this species will be discussed in this paper. LITERATURE OBSERVATION CLASSIFICATION Kingdom

:

Animalia (animals) Subkingdom

:

Phylum

Arthropoda

:

Subphylum:

Hexapoda

Class

:

Insecta

Order

:

Phthiraptera

Suborder :

Mallopaga (biting lice)

Superfamily

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Family

:

Philopteridae

Genus

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Columbicola

Species

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Columbicola columbae

:

Slender pigeon louse

Common name

Bilateria

Ischnocera

MORPHOLOGY The slender pigeon louse is a long, slender louse with two bladelike hairs near the front of its head with poorly-developed small eyes, black and brown in color. The threadlike antennae are five-segmented. They measure 0.078 to 0.12 inches (2 to 3 millimeters) in length.

HOSPES As its common name (slender pigeon louse), pigeons are the most common host of this louse (involved in four species of pigeons). PREDILECTION They are found only among the feathers on the upper and lower sides of the wings (either on the undersurface of the wing coverts or at the base of secondary feathers) BEHAVIOR Slender pigeon lice eat the fluffy parts of the feathers. Its slender shape allows the louse to live between the feather barbs. The edge of the barb is grasped with the mandibles and legs, protecting it from the preening activities of the host. LIFE CYCLE Females deposit their eggs on the underside of the wing feathers, next to the pigeon's body. They lay up

to 9 eggs per day on the feathers of the host. Eggs are

attached to a feather in the space between feather barbs and hatch between three and five days at 98.6°F (37°C) The nymph resemble adults and develop through 3 instars before they reach sexual maturity Note: Nymph = the immature stage of certain species of insects. Nymphs usually resemble their parents but are mostly smaller and lack wings Instars = refers to one stage of growth between moults, e.g. 3 larval instars (or growth stages) before an insects pupates. The number of larval instars varies between insects and may range from 3 to 30

DISCUSSION Feather lice are host-specific, permanent ectoparasites of birds that complete their entire life cycle on the body of the host, where they feed largely on abdominal contour feather. Species in genus Columbicola, which are parasites of pigeons and doves, are so specialized for life on feathers that they do not venture onto the host’s skin. Clinical sign of pigeon infected by this louse are itch and feather fall. Transmission between conspecific hosts occurs mainly during periods of direct contact, like that between parents and their offspring in the nest. Columbicola lice can also leave the host by attaching to more mobile parasites, such as hippoboscid flies. Because the flies less specific than the lice, this dispersal route may explain records of host-specific Columbicola on the wrong host. Columbicola columbae is only found on four species of pigeons, including the widely distributed rock dove or city pigeon. Rock doves (and their ectoparasites) live with humans and have been introduced throughout the world. The distribution of the slender pigeon louse is thought to match that of the rock dove. CONCLUSION Columbicola columbae are host-specific (sometimes can be found on wrong host cause of the transmission), permanent ectoparasites of pigeons. Transmission between conspecific hosts occurs mainly during periods of direct contact, but can also transmit by attaching to more mobile parasites, such as hippoboscid flies. Columbicola columbae is only found on four species of pigeons, including the widely distributed rock dove or city pigeon (the most important species in C. colae distribution)

REFERENCES http://www.bumblebee.org/invertebrates/Mallophaga.htm http://animals.jrank.org/pages/2416/Chewing-Sucking-Lice-Phthiraptera.html http://www.answers.com/topic/slender-pigeon-louse http://zipcodezoo.com/Animals/C/Columbicola_columbae/ http://www.ento.csiro.au/education/glossary.html#parasite http://www.kendall-bioresearch.co.uk/life.htm http://www.e-dukasi.net/mol/mo_full.php?moid=78&fname=bio111_19.htm http://www.ento.csiro.au/aicn/name_s/b_1106.htm http://tolweb.org/Phthiraptera http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/classification/path/Columbi cola_columbae.html#Columbicola

Chewing and Sucking Lice: Phthiraptera - Slender Pigeon Louse (columbicola Columbae): Species Accounts Physical characteristics: The slender pigeon louse is a long, slender louse with two bladelike hairs near the front of its head. The threadlike antennae are five-segmented. They measure 0.078 to 0.12 inches (2 to 3 millimeters) in length. Geographic range: This louse is only found on four species of pigeons, including the widely distributed rock dove or city pigeon. Rock doves (and their ectoparasites) live with humans and have been introduced throughout the world. The distribution of the slender pigeon louse is thought to match that of the rock dove. Habitat: They are found only among the feathers on the upper and lower sides of the wings of pigeons. Diet: Slender pigeon lice eat the fluffy parts of the feathers. The slender pigeon louse is only found on four species of pigeons, including the widely distributed rock dove or city pigeon. (Kim Taylor/Bruce Coleman Inc. Reproduced by permission.) Behavior and reproduction: The slender body of this louse allows it to move in between the feather barbs. They grab the edges of feather barbs with their jaws to avoid the preening activities of the host. Females attach their eggs on the underside of the wing feathers near the pigeon's body. They hatch in three to five days at 98.6°F (37°C). Slender pigeon lice and people: They are used as research animals by scientists studying how animals change over time and how they interact with parasites. Conservation status: This species is not endangered or threatened. However, populations present on the Pale-backed Pigeon from Central Asia and the Middle East should be considered vulnerable, or at high risk of extinction in the wild. ∎

FOR MORE INFORMATION Books: Kim, K. C., H. D. Pratt, and C. J. Stojanovich. The Sucking Lice of North America. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1986