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

Parasitology Research
Emiliano MoriBenoît Pisanu

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 (2...Continue Reading

References

Sep 4, 1979·Journal of Medical Entomology·J O Whitaker, R Goff
Feb 7, 2003·Nature·Mark E TorchinArmand M Kuris
Oct 11, 2007·Biology Letters·Frédéric BordesSerge Morand
Jun 26, 2013·Behavioural Processes·Sandro LovariEmiliano Mori
Nov 13, 2013·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Valen E Johnson
Aug 30, 2014·Behavioural Processes·Emiliano MoriLorenzo Fattorini
Sep 14, 2014·Parasitology Research·Leonardo AncillottoEmiliano Mori

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Citations

Oct 21, 2016·Parasitology Research·Maria Stefania LatrofaDomenico Otranto
Apr 9, 2020·Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI·Lorenzo LazzeriEmiliano Mori
Dec 20, 2018·Parasitology Research·Emilano MoriJuan Carlos Senar
Jun 20, 2020·Veterinary Medicine and Science·Giovanni CiliaFilippo Fratini

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