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The diversity and distribution of chigger mites associated with rodents in the South African savanna

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 May 2020

Sonja Matthee Open the ORCID record for Sonja Matthee [Opens in a new window] ,
Alexandr A. Stekolnikov ,
Luther van der Mescht ,
Götz Froeschke  and
Serge Morand Open the ORCID record for Serge Morand [Opens in a new window]
Sonja Matthee*
Affiliation:
Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, 7602 Stellenbosch, South Africa
Alexandr A. Stekolnikov
Affiliation:
Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Luther van der Mescht
Affiliation:
Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, 7602 Stellenbosch, South Africa
Götz Froeschke
Affiliation:
Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, 7602 Stellenbosch, South Africa
Serge Morand
Affiliation:
CNRS – ISEM Montpellier University, Montpellier, France CIRAD – Faculty of Veterinary Technology, Katsetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
*
Author for correspondence: Sonja Matthee, E-mail: smatthee@sun.ac.za
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Abstract

Chigger mites (Trombiculidae) are temporary habitat-specific ectoparasites that often occur on rodents. Little ecological data are available on chiggers associated with rodents in South Africa. The study aims were to (1) record the chigger species associated with rodents in the savanna, (2) assess if chigger species display parasitope preference on the rodent body and (3) compare the distribution of chigger species in natural, agricultural and urban habitats. Rodents (n = 314) belonging to eight genera were trapped in the savanna biome during 2014 and 2015. Twelve chigger species, of which five are recently described species, were recorded from 161 rodent hosts. The data include three new country locality records. Microtrombicula mastomyia was the most prevalent species across sampling seasons and habitat types. Significant parasitope preference was recorded for two species, with the ear, face and tail base some of the preferred attachment sites. Sampling season and habitat type had a significant effect on chigger communities with summer and agricultural habitats recording the highest species richness, while the highest species diversity was recorded in natural habitats. The study contributes to our current knowledge regarding rodent-associated chigger diversity and distribution in South Africa and further highlights the importance of environmental characteristics in shaping chigger communities.

Keywords

Habitat typeparasitoperodentsSouth AfricaTrombiculidae
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 147 , Issue 9 , August 2020 , pp. 1038 - 1047
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Copyright © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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