ABSTRACT

This study was carried out in order to determine the presence of Mallophaga species on storks in Konya, Turkey. For this purpose, 15 storks were inspected for chewing lice in March 2003. The lice collected from the storks were preserved in a vial containing 70% alcohol. They were cleared in lactophenol for a few days and mounted on slides in the Faure-Forte medium. Thirteen storks were found to be infested with lice. In addition, one tick was found on a stork. A total of 1316 lice were collected from the storks. They were identified as Colpocephalum zebra, Neophilopterus incompletus, Ardeicola ciconiae and Ciconiphilus quadripustulatus. The tick was identified as a nymph of Hyalomma sp. This is the first time that C. zebra, N. incompletus, A. ciconiae and C. quadripustulatus have been reported from storks in Turkey.