Parasitic Alien Terrestrial Arthropods on Small Mammals in Northeast and South Bulgaria

Small mammals - Micromammalia are the most widespread wild vertebrates in a number of natural biotopes in Northeast and South Bulgaria. The arachnids of the superorder Parasitiformes - syn. Gamazoidea are among the most frequently encountered ectoparasites on them, representatives of the metastigmal - order Ixodida and mesostigmal - order Mesostigmata mites. A number of small mammals Micromammalia of 10 animal species were captured and examined for the presence of ectoparasites: Crocidura leucodon - bicoloured white-toothed shrew, Apodemus sylvaticus wood mouse, Apodemus agrarius- striped field mouse, Apodemus flavicollis - yellow-necked field mouse, Microtus arvalis - common vole, Microtus subterraneus common pine vole, Mus musculus musculus - house mouse, Rattus rattus black rat, Arvicola terrestris - European water vole and Dryomys nitedula - forest dormouse. The mammals were captured in specially selected border and intensive traffic regions in Northeast and South Bulgaria near 12 residential areas. Ten species of parasite arthropods were found and identified. Of them, 6 species were mites - Acari in different stages of development. The following species belonged to order Mesostigmata: Ornithonyssus bacoti - Hirst and Laelaps echidninus Berlese and to order Ixodida, family Ixodidae: Ixodes ricinus - Linnaeus, Hyalomma plumbeum - Panzer, Dermacentormarginatus - Sulzer and Boophilus calcaratus - Olenev. The remaining 4 species were insects - Insecta, of which 3 species were fleas - Siphonaptera: Ctenocephalides canis - Curtis, Pulex irritans - Lineus and Leptopsilla segnis - Schonher and one species was louse - Anoplura: Polyplax spinulosa Burmeister. Two of the identified species of parasite arthropods had not been reported in our country so far, probably imported from other countries - alien species. These were the mite Laelaps echidninus - Berlese, 1887 and the louse Polyplax spinulosa- Burmeister, 1839.