Fleas associated with small mammals from Bolivia

MARCELA LARESCHI; DONALD GETTINGER; SCOTT L GARDNER

Mendoza

Congreso; IMC10, X Internatonal Congress of Mammals; 2009

Adult fleas are common ectoparasites of mammals with most described species known from rodents. More than 2,500 species are known all over the world, but the fauna of  many Neotropical areas is still understudied. Such is the case of Bolivia, where less than 25 species have been recorded. Herein we give preliminary information from a survey carried out between August 1984 and June 2000 from different localities of the country situated in the Departments of Chuquisaca, Cochabamba, La Paz, Santa Cruz and Tarija. Mammals were captured alive and fleas were collected by examining their pelage.  Collected specimens were fixed in 70% ethanol and prepared following conventional techniques for their identification using microscopy. Hosts were identified as the marsupials (Didelphidae, Marmosinae) Thylamys sp. and (Didelphinae) Micoureus cinereus; and the rodents (Cricetidae, Sigmodontinae) Euryoryzomys nitidus, Microryzomys minutus, Neacomys spinosus, Nephelomys levipes, Nephelomys keaysi, Andinomys edax, Phyllotis caprinus, Phyllotis xanthopygus, Akodon aerosus, Akodon boliviensis, Akodon fumeus, Akodon mimus, Akodon puer, Akodon simulator, Oxymycterus paramensis, Oxymycterus sp., Lenoxus apicalis, Thomasomys aureus, Thomasomys ladewi and Thomasomys sp.. Fleas were identified as species of Polygenis (Rhopalopsyllidae, Rhopalopsyllinae); Cleopsylla, Craneopsylla and Sphinctopsylla (Stephanocircidae, Craneopsyllinae); Neotypholoceras (Ctenophthalmidae, Ctenphthalminae) and Adoratopsylla (Doratopsyllinae); and Hectopsylla (Tungidae, Tunginae). Specimens of the subfamily Parapsyllinae (Rhopalopsyllidae) are still being studied and as yet are unidentified. Species in the genera Cleopsylla and Sphinctopsylla, as well as Neothypholoceras rosenbergi are recorded for the first time in Bolivia, having been previously known only from surrounding countries. Cleopsylla townsendi was recorded from O. paramensis and A. boliviensis; Sphinctopsylla inca on Oxymycterus sp., Thomasomys sp. and P. xanthopygus; and N. rosenbergi from Thomasomys sp., and  A. fumeus. With the exception of N. rosenbergi  -Thomasomys sp., the remainder parasite-host associations are new. The results obtained contribute to the knowledge of the biodiversity in Bolivia.