Anatoecusspecies (Phthiraptera: Philopteridae) from Anseriformes in North America and taxonomic status ofAnatoecus dentatus and Anatoecus icterodes

Abstract

AbstractAnatoecusCummings (Phthiraptera: Philopteridae) is a genus of chewing lice with four species infesting Anseriformes in North America:Anatoecus cygni(Denny),Anatoecus dentatus(Scopoli),Anatoecus icterodes(Nitzsch), andAnatoecus penicillatusKéler. Males ofA. dentatusandA. icterodesare distinguishable by their genitalia; however, there are no known anatomical characteristics to distinguish females.Anatoecus dentatusandA. icterodesare recorded from at least 55 of the same host species worldwide. The mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I was examined from the fourAnatoecusspecies, specifically to examine the taxonomic status ofA. dentatusandA. icterodes. When sequences from these species were analysed using neighbour joining analysis,A. dentatusandA. icterodeswere recovered in a well-supported cluster. However,A. dentatusandA. icterodeswere mixed within the same cluster. The average interspecific genetic distance ofA. dentatusandA. icterodes(0.04%) was almost the same as the average intraspecific genetic distances ofA. dentatusandA. icterodes0.02% and 0.05%, respectively. Therefore, we formally synonymiseA. dentatusandA. icterodesasAnatoecus dentatus(new synonymy). In addition two new hosts forA. penicillatuswere recorded:Branta canadensis(Linnaeus) (Anseriformes: Anatidae) andChen caerulescens(Linnaeus) (Anseriformes: Anatidae).