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JONES, Jr., Joseph. a SURVEY of the PARASITES of the EASTERN CROW, CORVUS BRACHYRHYNCHOS BRACHY

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JONES, Jr., Joseph. a SURVEY of the PARASITES of the EASTERN CROW, CORVUS BRACHYRHYNCHOS BRACHY This dissertation has been microfilmed exactly as received Mic 60-41OJ. JONES, J r ., Joseph. A SURVEY OF THE PARASITES OF THE EASTERN CROW, CORVUS BRACHYRHYNCHOS BRACHY- RHYNCHOS BREHM, 1822. INQHIO. The Ohio State University, Ph. D ., 1960 Zoology University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan A SURVEY OF THE PARASITES OF THE EASTERN CROW, CORVUS BRACHYRHYNCHOS BRACHYRHYNCHOS BREHM, 1822, IN OHIO DISSERTATION Presented In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By JOSEPH JONES, JR., B.A., M.Sc. 'k'k'icfc The Ohio State University 1960 Approved by Department of Zoology and Entomology ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The completion of this study was made possible through the cooperation and assistance of many persons. The author wishes to thank the teachers and graduate students in the parasitology laboratory who gave many helpful suggestions during the course of this study. The writer wishes to acknowledge the cooperation of Mr. Max L. Mitchell, Chief Engineer of the Miami Conservancy District, who gave permission to shoot crows in the Englewood Dam area. Mr. Dalrymple, Lorain County game protector, helped in the collection of crows in northern Ohio. Appreciation is expressed to Dr. Allen McIntosh of the Animal Disease and Parasite Research Division of the Agricultural Research Service for the loan of slides from the United States National Museum Helminthological Collection. Appreciation is expressed to Dr. Jean Gaud of the Institute of Parasitology, Teheran University, for his help in the identification of the feather mites obtained in this study. The author wishes especially to express his gratitude for the many helpful suggestions and constructive criticisms given by his adviser, Dr. Joseph N. Miller, of the Department of Zoology and Entomology. My wife has typed and retyped the manuscript. Her efforts greatly facilitated the preparation of this report. -ii- TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION..................................... I HISTORICAL REVIEW ................................ 3 MATERIALS AND METHODS ............................ 11 CLASSIFICATION, DESCRIPTION, AND DISCUSSION OF THE PARASITES ................... .......... 18 Protozoa ............................... 18 Acanthocephala ........................ 29 C e s t o d a *.................... 33 Trematoda .............................. 49 Nematoda ....................... 63 A key to the species of the genus Splendldofllarla Skr 1abln. 1923.... 103 Arachnlda ....... 108 Insecta ................................ 124 OBSERVATIONS AND RESULTS ........................ 134 INTERPRETATION OF DATA ........................... 158 Comparison of the Intensity and percentage of Infection of nestling, fledgling, juvenile and adult crows with various species of parasites 160 Blood Sporozoa ................... 160 Intestinal Sporozoa .............. 162 Acanthocephala................... 162 Cestoda ........................... 164 Trematoda ......................... 165 Nematoda .............. 166 Arthropoda ....................... 172 -ill- Page GENERAL DISCUSSION............................ 174 SUMMARY ............ 180 LITERATURE CITED .............................. 184 EXPLANATION OF FIGURES IN PLATES ............. 204 AUTOBIOGRAPHY................................. 240 -iv- List of Tables Table Page 1 136 Published records of parasites taken from the eastern crow, Corvus brachvrhvnchos brachvrhynchos. 139 Parasites obtained from the eastern crow in this study. 141 The percentage of infection of the eastern crow with different classes of parasites in relation to age of host and season of year. 142 Range, intensity, and percentage of infection of the eastern crow with different species of parasites in relation to the age or the host and the season of the year. 146 Range, intensity, and percentage of infection of male crows with different species of parasites in relation to the age of the host. 150 Range, intensity, and percentage of infection of female crows with different species of parasites in relation to the age of the host. 154 Percentage of infection of eastern crows with different species of parasites in relation to geographical region of the state. -v- APPENDIX ILLUSTRATIONS Plate Page I ............................................ 206 Haemoproteus danilewskii LeucocvtozoonTsakharofn Isospora corviae II ........................................... 208 Mediorhvnchus grandis Orthoskr1abinia rostellata III .......................................... 210 Hvmenolepis corvi Anomotaenia constrlcta IV ........................................... 212 Hvmenolepis serpentulus Hvmenolepis varxabilis V ............................ *............... 214 Echinostoma revolutum Brachylecithum americanum Amphimerus speciosus Conspicuum macrorcKTs VI ........................................... 216 Capillaria anatis Capiilaria contorta VII .......................................... 218 Porrocaecum ensicaudatum Syngamua trachea VIII ......................................... 221 Phvsocephalua sexalatus Microtetrameres helix -vi- Plate Page I X .......................................... 223 Acuaria anthuris bipiotrlaena trfcuspis X ........................................... 226 Splendidofilaria flexivaginalis n. sp. Sp lendidofilar la ohioensfs n. s p . XI ........ ............... 228 Lamlnosioptes dihvmenalis n* sp. XII ........ ................................. 230 Svrlngophilus bipectinatus XIII ...................... .................. 232 Analges corvlnus XIV ................................... ...... 234 Trouessartia corvltia Gabucinla dellbata X V .......................................... 236 Phllopterus corvi Mvrsiaea albiceps Briielia rotundata XVI ......................................... 239 A map showing the counties and "regions" from which crows were collected during the "summer and winter seasons." -vii INTRODUCTION The crow is of common and widespread occurrence throughout the United States. It may be found in Ohio during all seasons of the year. It is an omnivore and occurs in close association with farm animals. These facts alone tend to indicate that it may harbor a wide variety of parasites, some of which may occur also in farm animals. Its perennial occurrence in Ohio makes it a suitable animal for a general, year-round parasitological study. No such studies of this bird have been made in America. Several British parasitologists (Taylor, 1928; Clapham, 1935) have investigated the role of the starling in the transmission of gapeworms to domesticated animals. As a result of the present investigation, inferences have been made concerning the role of the eastern crow in the dissemination of parasites. Although several workers (Elliott, 1903; Morgan and Waller, 1941; Robinson, 1954) have found microfilariae in the blood of crows, no descriptions of the adult worms have been published. Two new species of filarial worms have been found in the present investigation, and additional information concern­ ing the morphology and systematics of this group is presented. Feather mites have been reported from relatively few species of American birds. Only one species has been -2- found on the eastern crow (Peters, 1936). As a result of the present investigation, one new species of feather mites is being reported and four new host records are given for North America. Moreover, additional information concerning the morphology and distribution of these forms is presented. Although various workers have reported parasites from the eastern crow, no attempt has been made to correlate the intensity and frequency of parasitism with such factors as environment, sex, and age of this host. In this study, the frequency and intensity of parasitism is considered in relation to the age and sex of the host and to the seasonal factor. Inferences have been made concerning the relative effects of diet, migration, and roosting on the intensity and frequency of parasitism in the crow. HISTORICAL REVIEW Although avian parasitism has been investigated by parasitologists in many countries, only a few bird groups have been intensively studied in order to determine the frequency of parasitism in relation to age and other factors. A few surveys, dealing strictly with corvid birds, have been made in Europe and North America. In most of these studies the collection of birds was restricted to a certain season of the year. Ward (1934) examined fifty crows, taken during the fall months, in Oklahoma. He reported that 40 per cent of the birds were infected with mites, 70 per cent with mallophaga, 60 per cent with nematodes, and 30 per cent with cestodes. A total of thirteen species of parasites was found. Morgan and Waller (1941) examined one hundred- twelve crows, shot by hunters in Wisconsin and Iowa. Forty-five per cent of these birds harbored tapeworms, 66 per cent contained nematodes, 6 per cent were infected with protozoa, 6 per cent with flukes and 30 per cent with ectoparasites. A total of seventeen species of parasites was represented in the study. Daly (1959), after examining the intestines of one hundred-three crows from Virginia, found 54 per cent of the birds infected with cestodes, 9 per cent with nematodes, 6 per cent with trematodes, and 1 per cent with Acanthocephala. Eight -4- species of parasites were recorded. At least three studies have been made of corvid birds in Europe. Markowski (1933) examined 139 corvid birds of seven different species in Poland, and found fifteen species of helminth parasites. Zekhnov (1947), in a study
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