Hydatigera (Cestoda: Taeniidae) is a recently resurrected genus including species seldom investigated in sub-Saharan Africa. We surveyed wild small mammal populations in the areas of Richard Toll and Lake Guiers, Senegal, with the objective to evaluate their potential role as intermediate hosts of larval taeniid stages (i.e. metacestodes). Based on genetic sequences of a segment of the mitochondrial DNA gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI), we identified Hydatigera parva metacestodes in 19 out of 172 (11.0%) Hubert's multimammate mice (Mastomys huberti) and one out of six (16.7%) gerbils (Taterillus sp.) and Hydatigera taeniaeformis sensu stricto metacestodes in one out of 215 (0.5%) Nile rats (Arvicanthis niloticus). This study reports epidemiological and molecular information on H. parva and H. taeniaeformis in West African rodents, further supporting the phylogeographic hypothesis on the African origin of H. parva. Our findings may indicate significant trophic interactions contributing to the local transmission of Hydatigera spp. and other parasites with similar life-cycle mechanisms. We therefore propose that further field investigations of rodent population dynamics and rodent-borne infectious organisms are necessary to improve our understanding of host–parasite associations driving the transmission risks of rodent parasites in West Africa.

This study examined the ecological distribution and abundance of the small mammal fauna in the Kora National Reserve, Kenya. Over a period of eight weeks, 3300 trap-nights yielded 11 species and a total of 298 small mammals. All 11 species were trapped in the diverse nyika habitat, whereas in the riverine habitat five species were trapped and the rock outcrops had only two species. However, the catch per trap-night was the highest on the rock outcrops compared with the riverine and nyika habitats. The duration of prebaiting had a marked effect on both diversity and abundance. With one exception, males of all species were in breeding condition whereas females tended to be more erratic. The biology of small mammal species in Kora in the dry season is discussed.