RESUMO
Ectoparasites are temporary or permanent skin dwellers. Megninia ginglymura (Mégnin) (Analgidae) causes economic damage in commercial poultry farms as a result of lower egg production or even death of the host. Little is known about Megninia ginglymura's life cycle and infestation. This study aimed to evaluate the preference of M. ginglymura for different body regions of the host Gallus gallus L. and its abundance and population dynamics in different laying hen houses. Samples were collected from August 2013 to August 2014 in three different commercial laying hen systems: automatic production systems (A1,2,3); semiautomatic systems (S1 (free of pesticides) and S2) and free-range system (FR). Ten laying hen were sampled each laying hen house and it were collected feathers were collected from different body regions form 10 hens in each laying house. A total of 28,305 specimens belonging to M. ginglymura were collected. Higher abundance was noted in S1 (9,234), S2 (9,121), and FR (5,873) and lower in A2 (2,211), A3 (1,628), and A1 (238). The dorsum (back of the body) region showed the highest abundance, mean abundance, and prevalence, representing 29.5% of the total specimens collected. The cloacal region was the second with 21.1% of the total of this ectoparasite. The abdomen and neck represented 20.8% and 19.6%, respectively. The inner wings presented the lowest abundance, mean abundance, and prevalence in all laying hen houses (9.0% of specimens). The prevalence was significantly different in automatic, semiautomatic, and free-range systems. The population peaks seems to coincide with periods of high temperatures and precipitation. Populations of this species already exhibit resistance to synthetic chemical pesticide.