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Abstract
Objective: To identify the taxonomy of the lice of the family Trichodectidae present in a captive population of M. temama.
Methodology: Lice were collected from 15 red brocket deer (M. temama) in captivity at the Unit for the Conservation, Management and Sustainable Use of Wildlife (UMA) El Pochote, Ixtaczoquitlán, Veracruz, Mexico. The deer were sedated and inspected in the ventral, inguinal, ears and tail areas to collect the lice, which were observed with bright field microscopy and electron microscopy and using taxonomic keys they were identified at the species level.
Results: A total of 155 lice identified as Tricholiperus lipeuroides were collected from 8 females and 7 males of M. temama. The prevalence was 60% (9 of 15 deer had lice) and the mean abundance of 10 lice per deer. The inguinal and ventral areas were the areas of the body where the presence of lice accumulated the most.
Implications: This study expands the knowledge about ectoparasites in M. temama in captivity and how the chewing louse T. lipeuroides adapts to new hosts. Although M. temama acts as an incidental host for T. lipeuroides, the deer did not show clinical signs such as hair loss. This information had not been reported in other studies and there are no previous case reports for Mexico.
Conclusions: The presence of T. lipeuroides in M. temama is reported for the first time in the UMA El Pochote, Ixtaczoquitlán, Veracruz, Mexico, since by sharing some areas of the UMA enclosures with O. virginianus; red brocket deer became a host of T. lipeuroides.