Abstract

LARESCHI, Marcela. Ectoparasites Associated with Males and Females of Oxymycterus rufus (Rodentia: Muridae): Comparative Study in La Plata River Marshland, Argentina. Rev. Soc. Entomol. Argent. [online]. 2004, vol.63, n.3-4, pp.39-44. ISSN 0373-5680.

Infestation parameters and indexes of ectoparasites associated with each sex of Oxymycterus rufus (Fischer) are compared. Males relative density index = 4.4%, females RDI = 5.0%. A total of 873 ectoparasites were collected on 38 males, and 1015 on 43 females; specific richness = 12.0, specific diversity = 1.2 on males, and S = 11.0 H = 0.7 on females. The similarity between both sexes according to their ectoparasites was of 87.0%. The results obtained show that host sex may influence on the prevalence and mean abundance of those ectoparasites which in previous studies have showed preference for O. rufus, such as Androlaelaps fahrenholzi (Berlese) (mean abundance = 3.5 and prevalence = 65.8% in males; mean abundance = 1.6 and prevalence = 50.0% in females), Eutrombicula alfreddugesi (Oudemans) (mean abundance = 10.9 and prevalence = 29.0% in males; mean abundance = 18.7 and prevalence = 32.6% in females) and Ornithonyssus bacoti (Hirst) (mean abundance = 7.8 and prevalence = 63.0% in males; mean abundance = 2.7 and prevalence = 52.6% in females). This information is important since an epidemiological viewpoint.

Keywords : Abundance; Acari; Host; Prevalence; Siphonaptera.

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