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Bionomics Of Mallophaga Of Sharp-Tailed Grouse In South Dakota, Major L. Boddicker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ecologies of chewing lice (Insecta:Mallophaga) which parasitize sharp-tailed grouse, Pedioecetes phasianellus, were studied in southwestern South Dakota from 1964 to 1967. Five hundred twenty-eight hens, cocks and chicks were collected and examined for louse damage. Louse populations were monitored each month from December, 1964, to September, 1967. Five louse species which infested grouse in the study area were Goniodes nebraskensis Carriker, Amyrsidea megalosoma Overgaard, Lagopoecus perplexus Kellogg and Chapman, Goniocotes chrysocephalus and Lipeurus maculosis Clay. Goniodes nebraskensis fed on feather parts and skin debris and was found to have seasonally fluctuating populations. Cocks carried peak populations of 250 lice/host …