A redescription of Menacanthus abdominalis (Phthiraptera: Amblycera) infesting common quail, Coturnix coturnix

Aftab Ahmad^a* & Nayanci Bansal^b
aEstuarine Biology Regional Centre, ZSI, Gopalpur, Ganjam Odisha, India
^bDepartment of Zoology, Govt. Raza P.G. College, Rampur, U.P., India
Received :22^th October, 2017 ; Revised : 18^th December, 2017

Abstract : Three species of the genus Menacanthus are known to infest the three genera of Coturnix. The common quail, Coturnix coturnix is known to harbor Menacanthus abdominalis (a haematophagous amblyceran louse). The haematophagous Phthiraptera do not only affect the vitality and productivity of host birds but often act as reservoir and transmitter of pathogens. A look on literature revealed that certain morphological features of M. abdominalis deserved further description. Present report provides the redescription of the M. abdominalis collected from common quail, Coturnix coturnix.

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