Armando C. Cicchino

Lice Species (Insecta:Phthiraptera) from Chilean Picidae (Aves: Piciformes)

ABSTRACT: Four lice species (Phthiraptera: Philopteridae, Menoponidae) were collected from three woodpecker species (Aves: Picidae) in central and southern Chile. We collected Penenirmus campephili Eichler and Menacanthus campephili Price & Emerson from Magellanic woodpecker (Campephilus magellanicus, King); Menacanthus pici (Denny) and Penenirmus auritus (Scopoli) from the Chilean flicker (Colaptes pitius Molina) and M. pici as a parasite from a Striped woodpecker (Veniliornis lignarius Molina). The species P. auritus and M. campephili are new lice records for Chile. The description of both P. auritus and M. pici parasitizing the Chilean flicker and Striped woodpecker respectively, are new host-parasite associations.

Immature Stages of Chewing Lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) from Neotropical Icteridae (Aves: Passeriformes), and Descriptions of Three New Species

Abstract. A morphological study of six little known or undescribed species of chewing lice parasitic on cowbirds (Icteridae) is given, based on a holistic approach which includes descriptions of the pre-imaginal stages. Both sexes, the last two nymphal stages and eggs of the new species Myrsidea amblyramphidis (Amblycera: Menoponidae) are described and illustrated (type host: Amblyramphus holosericeus (Scopoli)). Also, the male with all pre-imaginal stages (including hatching organ of nymph, egg and the three nymphal stages) of Menacanthus leistidis Cicchino, 1984 from Leistes superciliaris (Bonaparte) is described for the first time and the female is redescribed; a discussion of the morphological affinities with its closest species, M. sturnellae Price, 1977 is included. Among the Ischnocera (Philopteridae s.l.), both sexes and the last pre-imaginal stages of two incompletely known species of Brueelia Kéler, 1936, B. mirabile Carriker, 1963 from Molothrus o. oryzivorus (Gmelin), and B. oxypyga (Giebel, 1874) from A. holosericeus are described. Furthermore, two new species of Brueelia, B. chopi from Gnorimopsar chopi (Vieillot), and B. paradoxa from Leistes superciliaris are described from both sexes and their last two pre-imaginal stages, and eggs.

Ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) inhabiting anthropogenic habitats in the lower delta of the Paraná river, Argentina: geographic distribution and ecological characteristics

The primary aims of this paper were to provide the first inventory of carabid beetles collected in five different anthropogenic habitat types of the Lower Delta of the Paraná River, to describe their main ecological characteristics and to provide information on their distribution range in ecoregions, subregions and ecosystem complexes of Argentina and across the Neotropical region. Species were grouped according to six classes of distributions in relation to their presence in the Delta of the Paraná River. In addition, rarefaction curves were built in order to compare the seasonal species richness. We collected 1486 individuals belonging to 48 species. The southernmost distribution limit of 50% of the species is located south of the Delta region. Moreover, 21% of the species are confined to the Delta and Islands of the Parana and Uruguay Rivers ecoregion and to localities within the neighbouring ecoregions of Espinal and Pampa. Most (63%) of the species were zoophagous and 25% were either omnivorous or seed eaters; 52% were hydrophilous, 44% mesophilous and one was xerophilous. The high number of species found in this ecoregion emphasising its importance as a biodiversity hotspot of South American carabids. Human activities have led to changes in the landscape of the Delta Islands which could favour the establishment of mesophilous and xerophilous species from other ecoregions. Seasonal carabid richness is higher in the warm seasons (spring and summer) compared with the cold seasons (autumn and winter). Although, the highest absolute richness was found in the most anthropised habitat types, secondary forests had exclusive species, showing the importance of preserving the ecological mosaic of the landscape.

A new species of Aquanirmus Clay & Meinertzhagen (Phthiraptera: Philopteridae) parasitic on the Great Grebe, Podiceps major (Aves: Podicipedidae), in Argentina and Chile

The new species Aquanirmus major Cicchino & González Acuña found on the Great Grebe, Podiceps major, from different localities of Argentina and Chile, is described and illustrated, giving comments on its affinities and differences with the remaining three species included in the Aquanirmus emersoni-species complex.