Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Dec 28:23:100903.
doi: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2023.100903. eCollection 2024 Apr.

How many threatened lice are there? An approximation to the red list of the Spanish Phthiraptera

Jesús M Pérez  1
Affiliations

How many threatened lice are there? An approximation to the red list of the Spanish Phthiraptera

Jesús M Pérez. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl. .

Abstract

Although the idea of conserving parasites as part of biodiversity is not new, these in general and lice in particular, are not included in the threatened list of invertebrate fauna. Assuming that the conservation status of a lice species is similar to that of its host, the number of threatened lice within the Spanish entomofauna was estimated based on the known host-lice assemblages. The lice parasitizing many of the Spanish birds and mammals are unknown. Overall, I found 6 extinct (EX) species; 4 critically endangered (CR); 15 endangered (EN), 7 vulnerable (VU) and 1 species near threatened (NT), at regional level. Since the status of hosts varies through time and space, it, (together with those of their lice, must be periodically updated. In addition to a number of reasons that justify the conservation of parasites, lice deserve being conserved, particularly, because of their scientific value.

Keywords: Birds; Conservation; Lice; Mammals; Phthiraptera; Spain.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Image 1
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Felicola (Lorisicola) isidoroi. Adult male, habitus. This is the holotype of the species and is deposited in the collection of the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC) in Madrid, Spain. Photography by Jean-Claude Stahl (Te Papa Tongarewa Museum, Wellington, New Zealand).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Barea-Azcón J.M., Ballesteros-Duperón E., Moreno D., editors. Libro rojo de los invertebrados de Andalucía. Consejería de Medio Ambiente. Junta de Andalucía; Sevilla: 2008.
    1. Bottrill M.C., Walsh J.C., Watson J.E.M., Joseph L.N., Ortega-Argueta A., Possingham H.P. Does recovery planning improve the status of threatened species? Biol. Conserv. 2011;144:1595–1601. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2011.02.008. - DOI
    1. Buckley T.R., Palma R.L., Johns P.M., Gleeson D.M., Heath A.C.G., Hitchmough R.A., Stringer I.A.N. The conservation status of small or less well known groups of New Zealand terrestrial invertebrates. N. Z. Entomol. 2012;35:137–143. doi: 10.1080/00779962.2012.686319. - DOI
    1. Burgess I.F. Sucking lice and spiracular transpiration: turning a liability into a benefit and a necessity. J. Exp. Biol. 2022;2022:225. doi: 10.1242/jeb.244041. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bush S.E., Clayton D.H. Does preening behavior reduce the prevalence of avian feather lice (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera)? J. Parasitol. 2023;109:145–147. doi: 10.1645/23-2. - DOI - PubMed