New Zealand Journal of Zoology abstracts

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Coexistence of two species of Halipeurus (Phthiraptera) on Chatham Island taiko (Pterodroma magentae) (Aves)

RICARDO L. PALMA

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
P.O. Box 467
Wellington, New Zealand

MICHAEL J. IMBER

Department of Conservation
P.O. Box 10 420
Wellington, New Zealand

Abstract  Feather lice (Phthiraptera) were collected from 14 Chatham Island taiko (Pterodroma magentae). These included two species of Halipeurus (Philopteridae) in the ratio of two H. procellariae to one H. theresae. So far as we know, the regular occurrence of two Halipeurus species on a host is unique. H. procellariae is likely to have been acquired from the taiko's ancestors, but H. theresae probably derives from a secondary infestation through close association of the host with Chatham petrels (Pterodroma axillaris), probably in mixed breeding colonies. From sub-fossil evidence, Chatham petrels formerly bred on the main Chatham Island, to which P. magentae has, from such evidence, always been restricted.

Keywords  Phthiraptera; Halipeurus procellariae; H. theresae; Pterodroma magentae; P. axillaris; Chatham Island

Z99043
Received 21 October 1999; accepted 10 March 2000

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (284K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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