Galapagos Species Database

The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.

Vernoniella guimaraesi (Thompson, 1948)

Piojo, Ani louse

Parasitic louse on the introduced Ani (Crotophaga ani)

Vernoniella guimaraesi louse and its host have been introduced to the Galápagos Islands by human agency (Castro & Phillips 1996: 114). At present, Crotophaga ani is the only host of this louse species (Price et al. 2003: 246).

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Animalia

Phylum
Arthropoda

Class
Insecta

Order
Psocodea

Suborder
Troctomorpha

Family
Philopteridae

Genus
Vernoniella

Species
guimaraesi

Taxon category: Accepted

Origin: Introduced - established

Introduction

Year of first record: 1988

Mode of introduction: Accidental

Introduction Pathway: Contaminant

Subpathway: Parasites/pathogens on animals

Introduced status: Coexists with introduced species

Invasive status: Unlikely to become invasive

Distribution

Distribution: Isabela, Pinzon, Santa Cruz

References

  • Palma, R.L. Peck, S.B. (2013) An annotated checklist of parasitic lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) from the Galápagos Islands Zootaxa 3627 (1): 001–087

You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.

This page should be cited as follows:

"Galapagos Species Database, Vernoniella guimaraesi", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=16823. Accessed 2 November 2026.