Ostriches are originated from Africa, and in Brazil they are mostly found in commercial farms which are developing in Brazil due to the great reproductive potential and the great economic value of its products that include meat, leather, feathers and eggs. However, parasitosis causes death of the birds and economic failure. Therefore, the aim of this research was to identify these ectoparasites that infect ostriches from commercial farms in the Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. Feathers and heads were collected randomly from 34 ostriches slaughtered in the city of Julio de Castilhos, RS. The feathers, heads and nasal cavity were individually cleaned in water with detergent. Following this, the material was sieved in a 150µm sieve and examined by stereomicroscope to search for ectoparasites search. Lice and mites were found in the feathers. The lices were clarified using metil salicilate and the mites by lactophenol. The lices were identified as Struthiolipeurus rheae and the mites as Struthiopterolichus sculpturatus. This is the first description of these arthropods in ostriches in Rio Grande do Sul.
ostrich; Struthiolipeurus rheae; Struthiopterolichus sculpturatus; lice; mite
