Biodiversity, evolution and ecology of ectoparasites

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Discussion about lice, fleas and ticks typically causes people to cringe with disgust. However, parasites constitute a great proportion of animal species and have considerable potential to impact fitness and performance in wildlife, domestic animals and humans. When I started my work, there were fewer than 300 species of chewing lice recorded in Canada, many of which were misidentified and associated with incorrect host species. There was little information on infestation parameters. I have recorded more than 300 species of lice from Manitoba alone, through examination of more than 7,000 individual hosts of more than 300 species. By examining hosts salvaged from wildlife rehabilitation hospitals, I have compiled a database on host specificity, prevalence and intensity of infestation, sex ratios, and population structure for each louse species, for each of their associated hosts.