title: Infracommunity dynamics of chiggers (Trombiculidae) parasitic on a rodent.
abstract: We studied the structure of chigger mite (Trombiculidae) communities parasitic on a South African rodent, Rhabdomys pumilio. We aimed to determine whether: (a) different chigger species differ in preferences for certain body areas of a host and (b) chigger assemblages among body areas of the same host individual, are structured and if so, whether the structure of these assemblages is aggregative or segregative. Rhabdomys pumilio is parasitized by seven chigger species belonging to six genera. The three most abundant species (Leptotrombidium sp. nr. muridium, Schoutedenichia sp. and Neoschoengastia sp. A) displayed a non-random distribution across the host body, with the two most abundant species (L. sp. nr. muridium and Schoutedenichia sp.) significantly associated with the tail area. In addition, whenever non-randomness of chigger co-occurrence in the same body area was recorded, it indicated positive but not negative co-occurrences of different species. This might be due to similarity of chigger species in resource needs and strategies to avoid host defence efforts.
authors: Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology,Stellenbosch University,Private Bag X1,Matieland 7600,South Africa.
authors: Karlien
authors: K
authors: Barnard
authors: Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology,Swiss Institute for Dryland Environmental and Energy Research,Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research,Ben-Gurion University of the Negev,Midreshet Ben-Gurion 8499000,Israel.
authors: Boris R
authors: BR
authors: Krasnov
authors: Department of Plant & Environmental Protection,University of Hawaii,Manoa,3050 Maile Way,Honolulu,Hawaii 96822,USA.
authors: Lee
authors: L
authors: Goff
authors: Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology,Stellenbosch University,Private Bag X1,Matieland 7600,South Africa.
authors: Sonja
authors: S
authors: Matthee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008924:Mite Infestations / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D051189:Murinae / Q000469:parasitology*; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D012867:Skin / Q000469:parasitology; D013019:South Africa; D014324:Trombiculidae / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Rhabdomys pumilio; Trombiculidae; body areas; subinfracommunity structure