This research reports Lipeurus caponis infesting domestic chickens, suggesting potential economic impacts on poultry production.
Lice are obligatory ectoparasites of birds and mammals, possessing mouthparts adapted for feeding on the blood and/or keratinized tissue of their hosts. Recording parasites that may cause economic and sanitary losses in the country's poultry industry is of utmost importance. For this reason, in the present study, we report the first record of Lipeurus caponis (Linnaeus, 1758) parasitizing domestic chickens in the Brazilian Amazon, specifically in the municipality of Autazes, state of Amazonas. The insect was collected using entomological forceps and deposited in a 1.5 ml microtube containing absolute ethanol on a rural property located on the banks of the Paraná Madeirinha River, where chickens are raised in a colonial system, coexisting with animals of different species and fed a diet based on whole corn grains. A male specimen of L. caponis was collected from the interscapular tract during the rainy season. Given this finding, we highlight the importance of entomological surveillance to prevent potential epizootic outbreaks and mitigate impacts on regional poultry production.
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Neto et al. (2025) studied this question.
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