Caged young pigeons mortality by Coleoptera larvae

Dermestidae and Tenebrionidae are well known inhabitants of bird’s nests and poultry farms, under favourable conditions they can be very abundant under favourable conditions. At times, their larvae shift from a scavenging behaviour to a parasitic/predatory one, entering nestling’s plumage and feeding on skin and feathers, and finally provoking skin damages and blood losses. These episodes mainly involve species of the genus Dermestes, but the tenebrionid Alphitobius diaperinus h also been reported to be responsible of similar cases. In June 2014, a mortality of caged young pigeons occurred in a family farm in Central Italy. Post-mortem examination of 1 of the dead nestlings revealed the presence, near the cloacal orifice, of a triangular shaped hole of about 1 cm side, with rounded edges facing inward and with bleeding from the cavity. Five coleoptera larvae 0.5-2 cm long were collected from the edges of the hole. Bacteriological examination of liver, intestine, and lungs revealed the presence of Escherichia coli in the lung samples. The 5 larvae were morphologically identified as Dermestes bicolor (4) and Alphitobius diaperinus (1). This is the first reported case of pigeon nestling’s mortality caused by Dermestidae and Tenebrionidae larvae acting as parasites/predators in Italy.