title: Parasites of two abundant sympatric rodent species in relation to host phylogeny and ecology.
abstract: In the present study, two abundant sympatric rodent species (27 Apodemus flavicollis and 33 A. sylvaticus) were studied for their endo- and ectoparasite fauna. The rodents were trapped in Dormagen, a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. A total of 20 different parasites species were identified, 13 endoparasite (2 Digenea, 5 Cestoda and 7 Nematoda) and 7 ectoparasite (5 Insecta and 2 Arachnida) species. Thirteen parasite species were found inhabiting both rodent species. The predominant endoparasite species in both rodents was the nematode Pelodera strongyloides, followed by the nematode Heligmosomoides polygyrus and a Syphacia species. The flea Ctenophthalmus agyrtes was the dominant ectoparasite in both rodent species. A. flavicollis usually carried 1-7 ecto-/endoparasite species (mean 4.0), whereas A. sylvaticus were mostly infested with 1-9 (mean 4.4). The parasite diversity of A. flavicollis (H' = 0.268, J = 0.097) was marginal lower in comparison to A. sylvaticus (H' = 0.319, J = 0.110). The two rodent species examined show remarkable similarities in the composition of their endo- and ectoparasite fauna being directly related to their similar pattern of living in the investigated area.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Zoomorphology, Cell Biology and Parasitology, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstr. 1, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany. Sven.Klimpel@uni-duesseldorf.de
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Klimpel
authors.forename: Maike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Förster
authors.forename: Günter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schmahl
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001097:Arachnida / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology; D002589:Cestoda / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology; D017753:Ecosystem; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D007313:Insecta / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology; D051189:Murinae / Q000235:genetics / Q000469:parasitology*; D009348:Nematoda / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D014200:Trematoda / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology