New records of Sucking lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera: Anoplura) on rodents (Mammalia: Rodentia: Muridae) from Chile

The rodent fauna of Chile includes 60 species in 31 genera, which represents more than half of the country’s mammalian diversity. They are also over-represented in relation to the expected number according to the country and to the South America area (Contreras, 2000). Chilean rodents fall into two different lineages: the Caviomorpha (Guinea pigs and their allies) and the Myomorpha (rat and mouse) (Munoz-Pedreros, 2000). The taxa Muridae Sigmodontinae with 31 native and one introduced taxa (the muskrat); the Muridae: Murinae comprising three introduced pest species (the Norwegian rat, the Black rat and the House mouse). The Sigmodontinae weighing less than 50 gr are omnivores or herbivores; the omnivore pest murids arrived with European settlers and now they are widespread (Redford and Eisenberg, 1992; Spotorno and Walker, 2000). Phthiraptera are highly specialized ectoparasites living on birds and mammals. Studies of this group in Chile are fragmented and incomplete. With the aim of increasing our knowledge of the ectoparasite diversity living on wild rodents, we report the Phthiraptera collected on different species/ specimens of Muridae (Mammalia: Rodentia) held in the collection of the National Museum of Natural History of Santiago, Chile (MNHN). The following louse-positive host species and their localities were identified: nine Norwegian rats (Rattus norvegicus [Berkkenhaut, 1769]) from Machali (34° 11’ S 70° 39’ W) and Talca (35° 25’ S 71° 39’ W); four Black rats (Rattus rattus [Linnaeus, 1758]) from Lago Penuelas (33° 09’ S 71° 32’ W) to Talca; 10 Olivaceus mice (Abrothrix olivaceus Watherhouse, 1837) from “Lago Penuelas” to Talca; three Andean mice (Abrothrix andinus [Philippi, 1868]) from “Termas del Flaco” (35° 57’ S 70° 26’ W) to Constitucion (35° 20’ S 71° 24’ W); two Valdivian mole-mice (Geoxus valdivianus [Philippi, 1858]) from Quilan island, Chiloe (43° 25’ S 74° 20’ W) to El Toqui, Coyhaique (45° 10’ S 72° 06’ W); 24 Long-tailed rice rats (Oligoryzomys longicaudatus [Bennet 1833]) from La Serena (29°54’S 71°15’W) to Chile Chico (46° 33’ S 71° 44’ W); 11 Darwin’s leaf-eared mice (Phyllotis darwini [Glanz 1977]) from San Felipe (32° 45’ S 70° 43’ W) to Constitucion (35° 20’ S 71° 24’ W); four Andean leaf-eared mice (Phyllotis xanthopygus vaccarum [Waterhouse, 1837]) from “Termas del Flaco” to Talca. NEW RECORDS OF SUCKING LICE (INSECTA: PHTHIRAPTERA: ANOPLURA) ON RODENTS (MAMMALIA: RODENTIA: MURIDAE) FROM CHILE