Piagetiella
Insect genus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Piagetiella, also known as the pelican and cormorant throat pouch louse, is a genus of parasitic louse in the family Menoponidae.[1]
.jpg)
| Piagetiella | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Psocodea |
| Infraorder: | Phthiraptera |
| Family: | Menoponidae |
| Genus: | Piagetiella Neumann, 1906 |
Description
Piagetiella are parasitic lice that live within the throat pouches of pelicans and cormorants. They feed on blood and skin cells, and often gather in rosette shapes with their heads facing inwards. They can cause hemorrhaging, ulcers, and tissue damage in the oral cavities and pouches of their hosts.[2] Infestations may be transmitted from parent birds to their young when they feed them. Adult Piagetiella typically attach to an ulcer to feed, while secretions and excretions by larvae may cause necrosis and local inflammation. Because the lice occur within the pouch, hosts cannot remove them by preening.[3]