Distribution of Fleas (Siphonaptera) in Bird-Nests, Bird Siphonaptera on Mammalia and the Medical Importance of Interspecific Flea Transmission in Mongolia

Authors

Daniel Kiefer, Ludwig-Maximilians-UniversityFollow
K. Pfister, Ludwig-Maximilians-University
D. Tserennorov, Centre for Infectious Diseases with Natural Foci
D. Otgonbaatar, Centre for Infectious Disease with Natural Foci
Ravčigijn Samjaa, National University of MongoliaFollow
D. Sumjaa, Mongolian State University
E. G. Burmeister, Zoological State Collection Munich
Mathias S. Kiefer, Zoological State Collection Munich

Date of this Version

2010

Document Type

Article

Citation

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei (2010) band 11: 395-404.

Comments

Copyright 2010, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle Wittenberg, Halle (Saale). Used by permission.

Abstract

Starting in the 1960s of the last century a huge amount of material from mammals and birds was collected in Mongolia. The according results were published in Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei, Volume 1-10, and represented on conferences in Halle, Moscow, Irkutsk, Ulaanbaatar, Bratislava and the Entomological Review St. Petersburg.

A big part of the collected material consisted of ectoparasites analyzed by experts from Mongolia, Germany, England, Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia resulting in newly described species along with zoogeographical and ecological profiles.

During the years 1974-2007 material from 321 nests of 38 bird taxa were obtained. 157 nests of 25 bird taxa were positive for fleas resulting in 5,532 collected specimen. 41 flea-species were detected. The flea-species with the highest spatial distribution are Ceratophyllus tribulis and C. vagabundus mostly parasiting on Passeriformes. Ceratophyllus maculatus and C. caliotes, specific parasites on Delichon urbica and Hirundo rustica, show the highest abundance of the analyzed fleas. In the nests of Apodidae and Hirundinidae, 90% of the analyzed fleas-species were Ceratophyllus maculatus.