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Palaearctic Flea Species of the Genus Xenopsylla (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) Parasitic on Gerbils (Rhombomys, Meriones) and Their Role in Natural Plague Foci

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Abstract

The taxonomic diversity, distribution patterns, and host-parasite relationships of fleas of the genus Xenopsylla (Pulicidae) are analyzed. Six species and two subspecies of Xenopsylla, associated with gerbils in the territory of Russia and adjacent countries, are known as the main, accessory, or occasional vectors of the plague pathogen.

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Funding

This work was based on the collections of the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (UFC ZIN 2-2.20) and Stavropol Anti-Plague Research Institute and supported by the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education (Research Assignment 122031100263-1 “Modern foundations of taxonomy and phylogenetics of parasitic and bloodsucking arthropods”).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia

    S. G. Medvedev

  2. Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, 664047, Irkutsk, Russia

    D. B. Verzhutsky

  3. North-Caucasus Federal University, 355009, Stavropol, Russia

    B. K. Kotti

  4. Stavropol Anti-Plague Research Institute, 355035, Stavropol, Russia

    B. K. Kotti

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  1. S. G. Medvedev
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  2. D. B. Verzhutsky
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  3. B. K. Kotti
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Correspondence to S. G. Medvedev.

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Medvedev, S.G., Verzhutsky, D.B. & Kotti, B.K. Palaearctic Flea Species of the Genus Xenopsylla (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) Parasitic on Gerbils (Rhombomys, Meriones) and Their Role in Natural Plague Foci. Entmol. Rev. 103, 401–421 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0013873823040024

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