Infestation and distribution of mites on the Yunnan red-backed vole (Eothenomys miletus) in Yunnan Province of southwest China between 2001 and 2015

• Published in: Biológia Vol. 77; no. 1; pp. 61 - 68
• Main Authors: Xiang, Rong, Guo, Xian-Guo, Ren, Tian-Guang, Zhao, Cheng-Fu, Fan, Rong, Zhang, Zhi-Wei, Mao, Ke-Yu, Peng, Pei-Ying, Huang, Xiao-Bin, Qian, Ti-Jun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cell Biology; Coexistence; Dominant species; Endemic species; Eothenomys miletus; Geographical distribution; Infestation; Life Sciences; Microbiology; Mites; Original Article; Plant Sciences; Small mammals; Species richness; Vectors; Zoology; China; Yunnan China; Mites; Yunnan; Ectoparasite; Rodent; China
• ISSN: 0006-3088; 1336-9563
• DOI: 10.1007/s11756-021-00884-w

The Yunnan red-backed vole ( Eothenomys miletus ) is an endemic rodent species in China and it often harbors two groups of mites, chigger mites and gamasid mites, on its body surface. A few species of chigger mites and gamasid mites are transmitting vectors of some zoonoses. Based on abundant original data from a long-term field ecological investigation in Yunnan Province of southwest China between 2001 and 2015, the present study made a detailed analysis on the infestation of E. miletus with mites. From 14 to 30 investigated counties, 53,958 mites were collected from 1,900 E. miletus voles with relatively high infestations. Of 232 mite species identified, there were 152 species of chigger mites (44,797 individuals) and 80 species of gamasid mites (9,161 individuals). The overall infestation prevalence ( PM ) and mean abundance ( MA ) reached 76.84 % and 28.40 mites/vole, respectively. The chigger mite Leptotrombidium scutellare (the constituent ratio, Cr  = 18.60 %), gamasid mite Laelaps chini ( Cr  = 12.16 %) and chigger mite Leptotrombidium sinicum ( Cr  = 10.57 %) were three dominant species of mites. The three dominant mite species had an aggregated distribution among the different individuals of E. miletus . Eothenomys miletus in the mountainous landscape harbored much more individuals and species of mites with a higher prevalence ( PM  = 82.25 %), mean abundance ( MA  = 38.26 mites/vole) and species richness ( Mf  = 19.59) than in the flatland landscape ( p  < 0.05). The infestation of E. miletus with mites in different altitude gradients was uneven and heterogenic, which reflects the infestation fluctuations in different environments. Mites tended to infest male and adult voles with higher PM and MA than female and juvenile ones, which reflects the infestation bias on different sexes and ages of vole hosts. There is no obvious interspecific coexistence, cooperation or competitive exclusion between chigger mites and gamasid mites on E. miletus . Based on iChao1’s formula, the total number of mite species on E. miletus was estimated to be 285.