• DOI:10.2307/2424900
• Corpus ID: 55780619

Origin and evolution of the external parasite fauna of western jumping mice, genus Zapus

@article{Whitaker1979OriginAE,
  title={Origin and evolution of the external parasite fauna of western jumping mice, genus Zapus},
  author={John O. Whitaker},
  journal={American Midland Naturalist},
  year={1979},
  volume={1011},
  pages={49-60}
}

• J. Whitaker
• Published 1979
• Biology
• American Midland Naturalist

There are few ectoparasites regularly associated with jumping mice of the genus Zapus. The tiny hypopial glycyphagid mite, Dermacarus newyorkensis, is nearly restricted to Zapus, and is found on all species and almost throughout the range of the genus. Androlaelaps fahrenholzi, a large laelapid mite, is common on Zapus throughout its range and also on many other species of small mammals. However, A. fahrenholzi as it occurs on Zapus appears to be different from that species as it occurs on Microtus and Peromyscus. Chiggers, primarily of the Neotrombicula microti group, are common on Zapus in the W. This includes N. microti, common also on microtine rodents, and apparently a new species mostly on Zapus. A myobiid mite, Radfordia ewingi, is apparently more common in the E than in the W. A myocoptid mite, Gliricoptes zapi, is not common on Zapus, but was described as new from Zapus from the W. The tick, Ixodes angustus, occurs fairly regularly on Zapus in the W. A few other ectoparasites were found, but none regularly. Limited ectoparasite data suggest Zapus prince ps of British Columbia to be perhaps most similar to a progenitor stock of North American zapodids, and British Columbia to be perhaps a center of evolutionary activity in Zapus. It is hypothesized that Zapus progenitor stocks, including most ectoparasites, entered North America from Eurasia and that relatively little transfer of parasites occurred between Zapus and other North American mammalian species, although losses of parasites did occur.