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A check list of the helminths of guineafowls (Numididae) and a host list of these parasites

JUNKER, K. & BOOMKER, J. 2007. A check list of the helminths of guineafowls (Numididae) and a host list of these parasites. Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research, 74:315–337 Published and personal records have been compiled into a reference list of the helminth parasites of guineafowls. Where data on other avian hosts was available these have been included for completeness’ sake and to give an indication of host range. The parasite list for the Helmeted guineafowls, Numida meleagris, includes five species of acanthocephalans, all belonging to a single genus, three trematodes belonging to three different genera, 34 cestodes representing 15 genera, and 35 nematodes belonging to 17 genera. The list for the Crested guineafowls, Guttera edouardi, contains a single acanthocephalan together with 10 cestode species belonging to seven genera, and three nematode species belonging to three different genera. Records for two cestode species from genera and two nematode species belonging to a single genus have been found for the guineafowl genus Acryllium. Of the 70 helminths listed for N. meleagris, 29 have been recorded from domestic chickens.


INTRODUCTION
Guineafowls (Numididae) originated on the African continent, and with the exception of an isolated population of Helmeted guineafowls in north-west Moroc co, their natural distribution is restricted to sub-Saharan Africa (Del Hoyo, Elliott & Sargatal 1994). In the wake of commercial game bird farming, but also as ornamental birds in aviculture, they have been introduced to many other parts of the world, such as France, Hungary, Italy, Greece, the United Kingdom, the USA, Australia and different regions of the former USSR (Haziev & Khan 1991). According to Belshaw (1985) guineafowls were imported into the southern Mediterranean region several millennia before turkeys and hundreds of years before junglefowls from which today's domestic chickens were derived. Currently four genera of guineafowls are recognized, namely Acryllium Gray, 1840, Agelastes Bonaparte, 1850, Guttera Wagler, 1832 and Numida Linnaeus, 1766 (Del Hoyo et al. 1994).
Many publications on the helminth fauna of guineafowls originate from northern and western Africa, where, second only to the introduced and native domestic fowls, they are farm-reared as a source of protein. The economic importance of guineafowls and domestic fowls within the poultry industry, as well as the fact that domestic fowls are kept by many private households to augment their income, necessitated a better understanding of factors, such as gastro-intestinal parasites, influencing the success-ful rearing of these birds. Consequently studies have been conducted to assess the extent to which guineafowls and domestic fowls can serve as alternative hosts for their respective helminths and possibly be adversely affected by them (Hodasi 1969(Hodasi , 1976Fabiyi 1972;Fatunmbi & Olufemi 1982;Vercruysse, Harris, Bray, Nagalo, Pangui & Gibson 1985).
In southern Africa Ortlepp (1937Ortlepp ( , 1938aOrtlepp ( , b, 1963, Saayman (1966), Crowe (1977) and Verster & Ptasins ka-Kloryga (1987) have published on the helminth fauna of guineafowls. No data on the helminths infecting species of the guineafowl genus Agelastes could be found, and we are of the opinion that the comparatively short parasite lists for the genera Acryllium and Guttera reflect a lack of data rather than an absence of parasites.
The check list herein is intended as a quick reference aid and is split into two sections. The first section con tains the parasites listed under their scientific names and authorities. Synonyms are provided either as generic synonyms in the case where whole genera have been synonymized or specific synonyms. The second section lists the hosts and their synonyms alphabetically, together with their respective parasites, also in alphabetical order.
The synonymy of the acanthocephalan genus Mediorhynchus Van Cleave 1916 is as given by Van Cleave (1947) and Schmidt & Kuntz (1977) and specific synonymy is according to Yamaguti (1963). For an in-depth review of the involved history of this genus's nomenclature the reader is referred to Van Cleave (1947).
The taxonomy of digenean trematodes follows Yamaguti (1958), but since the application of molecular techniques to this group has recently led to many changes, the reader is encouraged to consult the latest literature.
The classification of cestodes is based on the works of Khalil, Jones & Bray (1994). Information on generic synonyms and type species follows Khalil et al. (1994), while that on other species as well as the hosts and geographic distribution has mainly been derived from Yamaguti (1959), Schmidt (1986) and additional published records.
As regards nematode taxonomy, the authors have followed the CIH Keys to the nematode parasites of vertebrates (Anderson, Chabaud & Willmott, 1974-1983 and, where differences have occurred, have accepted the validity of genera and species as listed by Gibson (2005). With regard to generic synonyms, only synonyms listed in the CIH keys and by Gibson (2005) have been included in the check list. Specific synonyms, Type species and other species, as well as much of the data on hosts and geographic distribution are according to Yamaguti (1961) and Gibson (2005). Host and geographic data have been supplemented by including additional literature references.
The families and subfamilies of cestodes and nematodes are listed according to the system of Khalil et al. (1994) and the CIH Keys, respectively, but genera within these families are presented in alphabetical order. Synonyms have been arranged chronologically. The hosts and geographic localities per author are listed alphabetically. If several authors made reference to the same host, the authors are listed in chronological order.
The nomenclature and taxonomy of the avian hosts mainly follows Peterson (1999) and has been supplemented by Lepage (2007). Avian orders and families, as well as the nomenclature of southern African hosts follow Hockey, Dean & Ryan (2005).
Hosts listed in the literature as Gallus domesticus or Gallus gallus domesticus are referred to below as domestic chicken. Lepage (2007) lists domestic chicken as unconfirmed subspecies, G. g. domesticus (no authority given), of the Red Junglefowl, Gallus gallus (Linnaeus, 1758). However, this subspecies is not included in the five subspecies listed by Peterson (1999).