Fleas of elephant shrews (Mammalia, Macroscelididae) and a new host and locality record for Macroscelidopsylla albertyni De Meillon & Marcus, 1958 (Siphonaptera, Chimaeropsyllidae)

Abstract

Fleas collected from the elephant shrews Elephantulus edwardii (A. Smith, 1839) in the Western Cape Province, Elephantulus myurus Thomas & Schwann, 1906 in Free State Province, and an Elephantulus of undetermined species in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa are recorded in this paper. Five flea species were recovered of which Demeillonia granti (Rothschild, 1904) was the most numerous and prevalent. It was followed by Macroscelidopsylla albertyni De Meillon & Marcus, 1958, collected only from E. edwardii. Both this elephant shrew and the locality are new records for M. albertyni. Chiastopsylla octavii (Rothschild, 1904), Listropsylla agrippinae (Rothschild, 1904), and a female flea of the Ctenocephalides felis group were accidental infestations. The sex ratio of D. granti was 0.86 on both male and female elephant shrews, while that of M. albertyni on E. edwardii was 0.83.