Dr. Éva Murai szerk.: Miscellanea Zoologica Hungarica 2. 1984 (Budapest, 1984)

Kováčik, J.: Ticks (Ixodida), larval trombiculids (Trombidida) and lice (Anoplura) from small mammals in the Čergov Mountains (Western Carpathians, Czechoslovakia)

Ticks (Ixodida), larval trombiculids (Trombidida) and lice (Anoplura) from small mammals in the Cergov Mountains (Western Carpathians, Czechoslovakia)* Bv J. KOVÁCIK (Received November 28, 1983) The paper is dedicated to the memory of Tibor WEISZ (1914—1983). ABSTRACT. Altogether 6461 specimens of ectoparasites (Ixodida, Trombidida and Anoplura) were collected from the bodies of a total of 382 small mammals (11 species) captured during three field trips between 1980 and 1982 in the Cergov Mts. There were 26 ticks (one species), 5981 trombiculids (7 spp.) and 454 lice specimens (4 spp.) among them. Neotrombicula elegáns and Leptotrombidium silvaticum are new for Slovakia. No literature data are available concerning the occurrence and distribution of the discussed groups of ectoparasites from the studied region. Data on the Trombiculidae of the eastern part of Slovakia were published by DANIEL (1961) and KOVACIK (1983). The faunistical data of the ticks, trombiculid mites and lice reported in this paper are the first ones for the Cergov Mts. MATERIAL AND METHOD A total of 382 insectivores and rodents captured by snap traps were examined for ectoparasites. Investigation was carried out at three different localities and dates: Hertnik 26-28 Aug., 1980; Lenartov 10-12 Nov., 1981 and Livov 20-23 April, 1982. For detailed locality and habitat descriptions, see by MÉSZÁROS & STOLLMANN (1984). The following numbers of host species were examined: Sorex araneus Linnaeus 46, S. minutus Linnaeus 7, S. alpinus Schinz 7, Neomys fodiens (Pennant) 9, N. anomalus Cabrera 1, Muscardinus avellanarius Linnaeus 1, Apodemus flavicollis (Melchior) 29, A. agrárius (Pallas) 9, Clethrionomys glareolus (Schreber) 209, Pitymys subterraneus (de Sélys-Longchamps) 57, Microtus arvalis (Pallas) 7. Among the examined hosts, 20 (5.2%) were infested by ticks, 197 (52.1%) by trombiculids and 72 (19.0%) by lice. The host species most infected by all groups of ectoparasites were C. glareolus (209 host specimens with 6099 parasites), P. subterraneus (40/162), M. arvalis (5/80) and S. araneus (4/37). The ectoparasites were collected by the usual method and mounted in Swan's medium. The material of this study is deposited in the Research Station of the Institute of Experimental Biology and Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Stare Hory. * Report No. 18 from the project "Complex parasitological studies on small mammal populations", a co-operation between the Department of Zoology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, and the Institute of Experimental Biology and Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Research Station Stare Hory.