Friday’s louse was collected on a chicken on Penn State’s campus. The mystery species is  Menacanthus stramineus (Nitzch 1818) (Mallophaga: Menoponidae).

This species of lice can be found parasitizing not only chickens but also domesticated pheasants, guineafowl, turkeys, and peacocks. As with lice infestations on other animals, outbreaks of Menacanthus stramineus have been found to increase with bird density (Mullens et al 2010). Furthermore, lice infestation can affect the size and health of the birds, leading to reduced egg production (DeVaney 1976). Research is being conducted to see the influence of environmental factors on infestation of this species, which can be very costly to the poultry industry (Halbritter & Mullens 2010).

This species of louse is particularly setaceous, with many setae on the thorax and abdomen. This species is unique in that it resides on the host’s skin rather than feathers as many other mallophagan species (Price & Graham 1997).

Stay tuned for a new episode of Friday Night Lice later this week.