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Fennoscandian distribution of an important parasite of cervids, the deer ked (Lipoptena cervi), revisited

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Abstract

The deer ked [Lipoptena cervi (L. 1758) (Dipt., Hippoboscidae)] is a blood-sucking ectoparasite of cervids. The species has been resident in Sweden for more than two centuries, whereas in Finland (≈50 years) and Norway (≈30 years), it has established itself relatively recently. L. cervi may cause serious health problems in its natural hosts, act as a vector for zoonotic diseases, and pose a socioeconomic threat to forest-based activity. In this paper, we review the distribution and former expansion of the species in Fennoscandia. The current distribution of L. cervi appears bimodal, and the geographical range expansion of the species shows notable differences across Fennoscandia. The western population in Norway and Sweden has its northern edge of range at respective latitudes of 61° N and 62° N, whereas the eastern population in Finland reaches 65° N. The future expansion of L. cervi is dependent on several interdependent extrinsic and intrinsic factors. International multidisciplinary collaboration is needed to achieve a synthesis on the factors affecting expansion rates and to understand the effects of L. cervi on wildlife, human health, and the rural societies of Fennoscandia.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the staff at the Research Centre of Friendship Park, all volunteers who have participated in data collecting, and L. Huldén for giving access to the Finnish Atlas Data. We also acknowledge Dr. Preben Ottesen and his staff at the Department of Pest Control at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and Dr. Edgar Brun and his staff at the Section for Epidemiology at the National Veterinary Institute of Norway for their contributions in establishing and running www.flattogflue.no. The study was financed by Jenny and Antti Wihuri Foundation (grant to AK), Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland, Ella och Georg Ehrnroots Stiftelse (grant to LH), and the National Health Surveillance Program for Cervids (HOP) in Norway.

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Author notes

  1. Lisa Redford

    Present address: School of Biology, Newcastle University, NE1 7RU, Newcastle upon Tyne, England

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Oulu, PO Box 3000, 90014, Oulu, Finland

    Panu Välimäki, Laura Härkönen & Arja Kaitala

  2. Section for Wildlife Diseases, National Veterinary Institute, PO Box 750, Sentrum, 0106, Oslo, Norway

    Knut Madslien & Bjørnar Ytrehus

  3. Department of Pathology and Wildlife Diseases, National Veterinary Institute, 75189, Uppsala, Sweden

    Jonas Malmsten

  4. Metsästäjäin keskusjärjestö, Fantsintie 13-14, 00890, Helsinki, Finland

    Sauli Härkönen

  5. Department of Biology, University of Eastern Finland, PO Box 111, 80101, Joensuu, Finland

    Raine Kortet

  6. Fish and Wildlife Health Research Unit, Finnish Food Safety Authority, PO Box 517, 90101, Oulu, Finland

    Sauli Laaksonen

  7. Armed Forces Medical Services, Institute of Microbiology, PO Box 4302, Nydalen, 0402, Oslo, Norway

    Reidar Mehl

  8. Likollen 70, 1481, Hagan, Norway

    Lisa Redford

  9. Konnevesi Research Station, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, PO Box 35, 40014, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Hannu Ylönen

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  1. Panu Välimäki
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  9. Reidar Mehl
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Correspondence to Panu Välimäki.

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Välimäki, P., Madslien, K., Malmsten, J. et al. Fennoscandian distribution of an important parasite of cervids, the deer ked (Lipoptena cervi), revisited. Parasitol Res 107, 117–125 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-1845-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-010-1845-7

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