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Population dynamics of Antarctophthirus microchir (Anoplura: Echinophthiriidae) in pups from South American sea lion, Otaria flavescens, in Northern Patagonia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 January 2009

F. J. AZNAR ,
M. S. LEONARDI ,
B. BERÓN VERA ,
D. G. VALES ,
S. AMEGHINO ,
J. A. RAGA  and
E. A. CRESPO
F. J. AZNAR*
Affiliation:
Marine Zoology Unit, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, P.O. Box 22085, 46071Valencia, Spain
M. S. LEONARDI
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Mamíferos Marinos, Centro Nacional Patagónico (CONICET), Boulevard Brown 3600, CP 9120, Puerto Madryn, Argentina
B. BERÓN VERA
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Mamíferos Marinos, Centro Nacional Patagónico (CONICET), Boulevard Brown 3600, CP 9120, Puerto Madryn, Argentina
D. G. VALES
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Mamíferos Marinos, Centro Nacional Patagónico (CONICET), Boulevard Brown 3600, CP 9120, Puerto Madryn, Argentina
S. AMEGHINO
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Mamíferos Marinos, Centro Nacional Patagónico (CONICET), Boulevard Brown 3600, CP 9120, Puerto Madryn, Argentina
J. A. RAGA
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Mamíferos Marinos, Centro Nacional Patagónico (CONICET), Boulevard Brown 3600, CP 9120, Puerto Madryn, Argentina
E. A. CRESPO
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Mamíferos Marinos, Centro Nacional Patagónico (CONICET), Boulevard Brown 3600, CP 9120, Puerto Madryn, Argentina
*
*Corresponding author: Marine Zoology Unit, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia, P.O. Box 22085, 46071Valencia, Spain. Tel: +34 96 354 36 57. Fax: +34 96 354 37 33. E-mail: Francisco.aznar@uv.es
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Summary

We analysed population dynamics of the louse Antarctophthirus microchir in pups of the South American sea lion, Otaria flavescens, at the Punta León rookery (Argentina) over a period of 2 years. A total of 136 pups were aged and marked at the beginning of the lactation period ashore, then sampled for lice at different times within 30 days. Sampling was restricted to the chest and belly, two sites where lice were especially abundant. This concentration on ventral areas might protect lice from thermal stress in the austral summer. Infestation patterns in pups ⩽3 days old suggested that the potential for transmission increased from first nymphs to adults. Population trends of each instar with pup age, based on standardised values of abundance, were conserved between years, reflecting the basic dynamics of recruitment and reproduction. However, trends based on log-transformed abundances varied significantly between years; apparently, environmental conditions affected growth of lice populations differently each year. Stage-based deterministic models for population growth of A. microchir suggested generation times from 18 to 23 days. Accordingly, only 2 lice generations might be produced before pups start going to the sea. Shortening the cycle to accommodate a third generation might be risky, whereas a 2-generation cycle might at least result in larger females producing higher numbers of viable offspring.

Keywords

AnopluraEchinophthiriidaelife cycletrade-offSouth American sea lion
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 136 , Issue 3 , March 2009 , pp. 293 - 303
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 Cambridge University Press

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