Ectoparasites from small mammals from the Cerrado region in the Minas Gerais state, Brazil

Besides being an important component of the ecosystem and part of biodiversity, some ectoparasites of small mammals have economic and public health importance, but there are not many studies about them in Brazil. The objective of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of infestation of ectoparasites associated with small mammals from the Cerrado biome in the National Park Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Small mammals were captured from April to September 2007. In total, 95 mammals were caught representing nine species: Six of these species belong to the order Rodentia: Cerradomys subflavus Wagner 1842, Nectomys squamipes (Brants 1827), Thrichomys apereoides (Lund 1939), Rhipidomys mastacalis (Lund 1840), Necromys lasiurus (Lund 1841), Oligoryzomys nigripes Olfers 1818, and three to the Order Didelphimorphia: Gracilinanus agilis (Burmeister 1854), Marmosops incanus (Lund 1840) and Didelphis albiventris (Lund, 1841). Ectoparasites from five orders were collected: Ixodida, Gamasida, Phthiraptera, Siphonaptera and Diptera. The following species of ectoparasites were found: Amblyomma sp., Laelaps paulistanensis Fonseca 1936, Laelaps differens Fonseca 1936, Laelaps manguinhosi Fonseca 1936, Tur lativentralis (Fonseca 1936), Gigantolaelaps goyanensis Fonseca 1939, Gigantolaelaps vitzthumi Fonseca 1939, Androlaelaps (Haemolaelaps) fahrenholzi (Berleze 1911), Eubrachylaelaps rotundus (Fonseca 1936) Mysolaelaps parvispinosus Fonseca 1936, Ctenophthirus cercomydis Ferris 1922, Hoplopleura imparata Linardi 1984, Eogyropus lenti lenti Werneck 1936, Tunga penetrans (Linnaeus 1758) and Polygenes tripus (Jordan 1933). All records are novel for the Park. Additionally, new mammalian hosts are added.KEY WORDSBrazil, Cerrado, National Park Serra do Cipó, mammals, ectoparasites.