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Ectoparasite load in the crested porcupine Hystrix cristata Linnaeus, 1758 in Central Italy

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Abstract

The crested porcupine Hystrix cristata is a large body-sized rodent, occurring in Europe only in the Italian Peninsula, where it may have been introduced in early Medieval times. Its parasite fauna is currently poorly known and limited to few anecdotal observations. We have analyzed the ectoparasite load of 165 crested porcupines from Tuscany and Latium (Central Italy). Both captured and road-killed individuals were checked for fleas and ticks. Overall, only 39 porcupines were infested by four species of ticks and five of fleas. Abundance of ectoparasites was higher in areas with higher habitat richness, with respect to densely wooded areas. The most frequent species was the flea Pulex irritans (25 %), whose prevalence peaked in winter probably because of optimal abiotic conditions in the porcupine’s den. The remaining species of both hard ticks (Rhipicephalus bursa, Pholeoixodes hexagonus, and Ixodes ventalloi) and fleas (Paraceras melis, Ctenocephalides canis, Dasypsyllus gallinulae, and Hystrichopsylla talpae), all with prevalence lower than 5 %, could be due to den sharing with other vertebrates, mainly carnivores such as, e.g., red foxes and badgers. The second most prevalent species was the generalist tick Ixodes ricinus (21 %). An adult male-biased parasitism for ticks has been detected, suggesting a possible role of testosterone related immune-depressive effect. The low richness in dominant ectoparasite species, built up by locally acquired generalist taxa, provides support to the allochthonous origin of this rodent in Italy.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Alessandro Laurenzi (University of Bologna) for improving the readability of our first draft. Alessandro Massolo (University of Calgary), Raffaella Cosma, and Giorgia Romeo (Provincial Council of Grosseto) collected some of the parasites from area 1 and area 2. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Compliance with ethical standards

All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena, Via P.A. Mattioli, 4, 53100, Siena, Italy

    Emiliano Mori, Andrea Sforzi & Sandro Lovari

  2. Di.S.A.F.A., Entomology and Zoology, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini, 2, 10095, Grugliasco, Turin, Italy

    Emiliano Mori

  3. Maremma Natural History Museum, Strada Corsini, 5, 58100, Grosseto, Italy

    Andrea Sforzi

  4. Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Romana, 17, 50125, Florence, Italy

    Mattia Menchetti & Giuseppe Mazza

  5. CRA-ABP, Consiglio per la Ricerca e la Sperimentazione in Agricoltura, Via Lanciola 12/A, 50125, Cascine del Riccio, Florence, Italy

    Giuseppe Mazza

  6. Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation (CESCO), UMR 7204, Sorbonne Universités, MNHN, CNRS, UPMC, CP53, 61 Rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France

    Benoît Pisanu

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  1. Emiliano Mori
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Correspondence to Emiliano Mori.

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Mori, E., Sforzi, A., Menchetti, M. et al. Ectoparasite load in the crested porcupine Hystrix cristata Linnaeus, 1758 in Central Italy. Parasitol Res 114, 2223–2229 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4413-3

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