NDLI: Ectoparasite load in the crested porcupine Hystrix cristata Linnaeus, 1758 in Central Italy

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Mori, Emilia Sforzi, Andrea Menchetti, Mattia Mazza, Giuseppe Lovari, Sandro Pisanu, Beît
Copyright Year	2015
Abstract	The crested porcupine Hystrix cristata is a large body-sized rodent, occurring in Europe only in the Italian Peninsula, where it may have been introduced in early Medieval times. Its parasite fauna is currently poorly known and limited to few anecdotal observations. We have analyzed the ectoparasite load of 165 crested porcupines from Tuscany and Latium (Central Italy). Both captured and road-killed individuals were checked for fleas and ticks. Overall, only 39 porcupines were infested by four species of ticks and five of fleas. Abundance of ectoparasites was higher in areas with higher habitat richness, with respect to densely wooded areas. The most frequent species was the flea Pulex irritans (25 %), whose prevalence peaked in winter probably because of optimal abiotic conditions in the porcupine’s den. The remaining species of both hard ticks (Rhipicephalus bursa, Pholeoixodes hexagonus, and Ixodes ventalloi) and fleas (Paraceras melis, Ctenocephalides canis, Dasypsyllus gallinulae, and Hystrichopsylla talpae), all with prevalence lower than 5 %, could be due to den sharing with other vertebrates, mainly carnivores such as, e.g., red foxes and badgers. The second most prevalent species was the generalist tick Ixodes ricinus (21 %). An adult male-biased parasitism for ticks has been detected, suggesting a possible role of testosterone related immune-depressive effect. The low richness in dominant ectoparasite species, built up by locally acquired generalist taxa, provides support to the allochthonous origin of this rodent in Italy.
Starting Page	2223
Ending Page	2229
Page Count	7
File Format	PDF
ISSN	09320113
Journal	Parasitology Research
Volume Number	114
Issue Number	6
e-ISSN	14321955
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Publisher Date	2015-03-17
Publisher Place	Berlin/Heidelberg
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Introduced rodent Hard ticks Fleas Parasite diversity Space use behavior Testosterone immune-depressive effect Medical Microbiology Microbiology Immunology
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Infectious Diseases Veterinary Parasitology Insect Science

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