Description of the Nymphal Stages of Hoplopleura affinis (Anoplura: Hoplopleuridae) from the Striped Field Mouse Apodemus agrarius with a Global Checklist of Hoplopleura Species from the Genus Apodemus.

ABSTRACT

The genus Hoplopleura is the most speciose genus of sucking lice observed parasitizing rodents and lagomorphs (pikas). Despite the fact that the majority of Anoplura are believed to be monoxenic, many species within Hoplopleura may be oligoxenic. In addition, the occurrence of more than one parasite species per host species on individuals has been confirmed. As such, a precise species identification of the parasite, especially of the nymphs, is of high significance. The study is based on the material of 245 sucking louse specimens taken from 179 individuals of the striped field mouse Apodemus agrarius collected between 2008 and 2017. The study employs scanning microscopy to provide superior quality resolution of the studied traits. The study presents the first record of the characters of the nymphal stages of H. affinis, one of the common Eurasian species of the genus. Additional aspects of the biology and the host-parasite relationship of H. affinis are presented, e.g., female, male and nymphs of lice, showing different preferences in the choice of location (topography) on the host body. In addition, a global checklist has been made of all the species of Hoplopleura found parasitizing rodents of the genus Apodemus. Generally, the ranges of the occurrence of lice of this genus coincide with the geographic distribution of typical hosts, although this has not always been confirmed by local studies.