Viljoen, S

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498 ZOOLOGICA AFRICAN A VOL 12 ECTOPARASITES OF THE BUSH SQUIRREL,P.A.R.A.XERUS CEP.A.PI CEP.A.PI, IN THE TRANSVAAL (RODENTIA: SCIURIDAE) S VILJOEN Mammal Research Institute. University of Pretorill Accepted: February 1977 During 1973/14 ectoparasite. from bUlh squirrels, ParllXt!TW ceJHlPi cefNIPi (A Smith. 1836), from a study area near Naboomspruit in the Tl'8.IIIVUl (24°3S'S/28°47'E) were collected and preserved in 70 per cent alcohol. In addition, 39 whole skins from various localities in the Transvaal (Viljoen 1975), also in 70 per cent alcohol. were sent to the Entomology Section of the South African Institute for Medical Research in Johannesburg where parasites were extracted and identified or sent away for identification (Table I). Mites Hirstionyssus tra1UlVtlllknsis is the more common TABLE I Ectoparasites collected from bush squirrels, Paraxerus c. cepapi. during 1973-1974 in the Transvaal Month (1973 except where Ectoparasite Loca/ity otherwise mentioned) Mites (Acarina) Sarcoptiform hypopi Naboomspruit April to July, September Messina August Trombiculidae cf. Schiingastia Naboomspruit April to July Hirstionyssus transvaalensis Messina August Fleas (Siphonaptera) Xenopsylla brasiliensis Messina August Ctenocephalides lelis Naboomspruit September Sucking lice (Anoplura) Neohaematopinus heliosciuri Naboomspruit January to September Messina August Ticks (Ixodoidea) Rhipicephalus theileri Naboomspruit May to August 1973, May and September 1974 Rhipicephalus simus Messina August Haemaphysalis sp. cf. H. zumpti. Potgietersrus October Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2010). 1977 SHORT COMMUNICATIONS 499 mite on Paraxerus cepapi and has been described from this species by Paola (1969) in the Transvaal. In addition to the Naboomspruit record of the. Trombiculidae (Table I), these parasites were also identified from the Messina sample (August) of the present study. Fleas The flea Xenopsylkl brasiliensis is extremely common on the house rat Rattus rattus and has been recorded from various small mammals, usually rats with some climbing ability, living in hollow trees (Zumpt 1966). Zumpt records the original approximate distribution as probably the southern half of Mrica with the exception of the. south-western comer and states that it is of great importance as a carrier of plague in Mrica and in some places it is probably the main vector. An additional record of the flea, Xenopsylla sp., was also recorded from Naboom-spruit (July). The cat flea, CtenocepluJlidesfelis, is widespread over Mrica on Canidae, Felidae, Viver-ridae, Hyaenidae and Leporidae as well as on domestic animals and man (Zumpt 1966). However, it is apparently not an efficient vector of plague. Sucking lice The sucking louse, Neohoematopinw heliosciuri has been found on the African tree squinels Heliosciurus rufobrachium. Funisciurus anerythrus and Paraxerus boehmi em;"i by Rahm (19~2). and Ledger (1976) additionally records these lice from Paraxerus ochraceow. P. cepapi and P. alexandri. TIcks The tick identifications were done on nymphae. Theiler (1962) recorded the distribution of Rhipice-pluJlw theileri in Mrica south of the Sahara at Ngamiland in Botswana; various localities in South West Mrica; and in the Republic of South Mrica from the Orange Free State, North-west Cape, and Bloemhof in the Transvaal. They have been found on Chelonia sp., various carnivores, Xerus inauris and Aethomys namaquensis. RhipicepluJlw simus has been identified from many different mammalian hosts (Theiler 1962) as well as from birds, but not before from P. c. cepapi although these ticks are common in the Transvaal bushveld and widespread over Mrica south of the Sahara. Haemaphysalis ticks have been described from Paraxerus cepapi TABLE 2 Monthly distribution of ectoparasites on 39 bush squirrels, Paraxerus c. cepapi, collected during 1973 in the Transvaal. Host sample Month size Ticks Fleas Mites Lice January I February I I April 5 I 3 May 5 5 3 5 June 2 2 I 2 July 3 3 I I 3 ·August 14 X X X X ·September 8 X X X X • During August and September skins were not preserved separately and no record w~s kept of the number of hosts per ectoparasite species-X indicates presence of ectoparasite. Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2010). soo ZOOlOGICA AFRICANA VOL 12 chobiensis from Botswana by Hoogstraal & EI Kammah (1974). Table 2 shows the monthly distribution of hosts and parasites. No record was kept of the relative abundance ofthe parasites and their distribution on the bodies of hosts, but most were found under the arm, around the anus, posterior to and in the ears, on the neck and eye-lids. Ectoparasites were more abundant on adults than on juveniles, probably as a result of the extensive allogrooming of youngsters. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My sincere thanks are due to Dr J A ledger and his staff at the Entomology Department, South African Institute for Medical Research, Johannesburg, for identifying mites, neas and sucking lice and to Miss J Walker at Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Institute for tick identifications. I also wish to thank Prof. J D Skinner for making the study possible. REFERENCES HOOOSTRAAL, H & EL KAMMAH, K M 1974. Notes on African Haemaphysalis ticks. XII. H. (Rhipi-STOMACH CONTENT ANALYSES OF POMADASYS COMMERSONNJ FROM THE SWARTKOPS ESTUARY (PISCES: POMADASYIDAE) H C VAN DER WESTHUIZEN AND J F K MARAIS University of Port Elizabeth Accepted: April 1977 INTRODUCTION PomadDsys commeT6onni (Lace~e 1802), the spotted grunter, occurs in the warmer water of the stoma) zumpti sp.n., a parasite of small carnivores and squirrels in Southern Africa (Ixodoidea: Ixodidae). J. Parasit. 60: 188-197. LEDGER, J A 1976. The arthropod parasites of vertebrates in Africa south of the Sahara (Ethio-pian Region) Vol IV. Phthiraptera. D.Sc. thesis. PAOLA, B 1969. Description of a new species of Hirstionyssus Fonseca (Acarina: Dermanyssidae) from the Ethiopian pgrapbical region, with notes on other known species. Revue Zool. Bot. afro 80: 67-79. RAHM, U 1972. Note sur Ia ~production,l'ecologie et Ie ~gime alimentaire des Sciurid~ au Kivu (ZaIre). Revue Zool. Bot. afro 58: 321-339. THEILER, G 1962. The Ixodoidea parasites of vertebrates in Africa south of the Sahara (Etbio-pean Region). Report to the Director of Vet erin-ary Services, Onderstepoort. Pretoria. VIUOEN, S 1975. Aspects of the ecology, reproduc-tive physiology and ethology of the bush squirrel, Paraxerus cepapi cepapi (A Smith, 1863). MSc thesis, University of Pretoria. ZUMPT, F (ed.) 1966. The arthropod parasites of vertebrates in Africa south of the Sahara (Ethio-pian Region). Vol. III. (Insecta excl. Phthirap-tera). Pubis S. Afr. Inst. med. Res. 13 (52): 1-283. east Coast of South Africa with a special preference for the calm water of estuaries (Smith 19S0; Smith 1961; Wallace 1975). It is a very popular sporting fish and contributes to a large extent to recreation in the Swartkops Estuary. Records of the Swartkops Angling Club were analysed by Marais.(I976) who found that in terms of biomass, 82 per cent of the catches of anglers consisted of Pomadasys commer-sonni and in terms of numbers this species con-tributed 87 per cent. Average P. commersonni catches by angling club members from April 1972 to March 1975 in the Swartkops Estuary were 127 per month. An equal number of fish is probably caught by non-members of angling clubs. Next in abund-ance was lithog1lllthus lithog1lllthus with only 4 per month. A further indication of the relative abundance of P. commersonni in the Swartkops Estuary was obtained from a study of the catches made by Reproduced by Sabinet Gateway under licence granted by the Publisher (dated 2010). 

Ectoparasites of the bush squirrel, Paraxerus cepapi Cepapi, in the Transvaal (Rodentia: Sciuridae)

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Ectoparasites of the bush squirrel, Paraxerus cepapi Cepapi, in the Transvaal (Rodentia: Sciuridae)

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