Occurrence of the louse fly Ornithoctona erythrocephala Leach (1817) (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) on a free-living red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata)

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this study was to report, for the first time, the occurrence of the hippoboscid fly Ornithoctona erythrocephala on a red-legged seriema (Cariama cristata). A Diptera specimen was found among the feathers of a free-living red-legged seriema, which was referred to necropsy at the Wild Animal Pathology Service, UNESP Jaboticabal. The fly was collected, stored in absolute alcohol, and shipped to the Institute of Biosciences of the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul for proper identification. Based on morphological characters, the specimen was identified as a female of Ornithoctona erythrocephala. This study provides a report on a new host for O. erythrocephala.

Keywords

• Ornithoctona erythrocephala
• Diptera
• Hippoboscidae
• Louse-flies
• ectoparasites