Parasitic associations of a threatened Sri Lankan rainforest rodent, Mus mayori pococki (Rodentia: Muridae)

Abstract

Parasitic investigations of the subspecies Mus mayori pococki were carried out in four rainforests that included two man and biosphere reserves and two forest reserves of Sri Lanka from October 2006 to August 2007. Rodents were live-trapped using Shermans traps. Of the 117 individuals of M. m. pococki captured 73% were infested with four types of ectoparasites mites of the genus Echinolaelaps, a louse Polyplax serrata, a larval stage of hard tick Ixodes and pseudoscorpions of the genus Megachernes. Mites were the most abundant ectoparasite of this rodent host. Faecal examination revealed the presence of a nematode larva of the Order Strongylida and five types of parasitic ova; three nematode ova types i.e. strongyle, strongyloides, ascarid types, and cestode and mite ova. In comparison to the non-infested hosts, those infested did not show a significant difference in body weight and size. Both sexes had an equal probability of being exposed to ectoparasites. The present study on the parasitic investigations of M. m. pococki reports four new host-ectoparasite and six new endoparasitic records for the Sri Lankan rodent host.