Gastrointestinal Parasites of Small Mammals in the Littoral Forest of Mandena

We screened the fecal samples of 179 individuals of small mammal species (Primates: Cheirogaleus major, C. medius, Microcebus murinus, Rodentia: Eliurus webbi, Rattus rattus, and Afrosoricida: Setifer setosus) for gastrointestinal parasites. Nematodes with direct life cycles were most abundant. They included ascarids (Ascaris sp. and probably Ascaris petiti), strongylids (Strongyloïdes spp. and probably Oesophagostomum spp., Ankylostoma sp., and Chabertia sp.), and trichurids (Trichuris sp. and Capillaria sp.). We also found trichostrongylids, tentatively identified as Trichostrongylus sp., Nematodirus sp., and Cooperia sp., oxyurids as Enterobius sp. and probably Heterakis sp., Lemuricola sp., and Syphacia sp.; spirurids. Some helminths with indirect life cycles were also observed such as the cyclophyllidean cestodes Hymenolepis spp., and one non-identified form. Trematode and acanthocephalan were rare and found only in Microcebus murinus. Coccidia (Protozoa) occurred frequently. Rats shared many parasites with the native small mammal species. Since rats also use non-forested areas, they can spread parasites from one forest fragment to another. In the large fragments, the number of different helminthes morphotypes per individual (HMI), and the number of eggs found per gram of feces per individual fecal sample (EPG) of M. murinus and Rattus rattus increased with the level of degradation. The pair-living Cheirogaleus medius did not show sex related differences in any measure of parasite loads (HMI and EPG). Among the two promiscuous species, male M. murinus tended to have more different types of parasites than females, and male R. rattus had higher EPG than females. Résumé Parasites gastro-intestinaux des petits mammifères de la forêt littorale de Mandena, Madagascar. Nous avons examiné des échantillons de fèces de 179 individus de petits mammifères (Primata : Cheirogaleus major, C. medius, Microcebus murinus ; Rodentia: Eliurus webbi, Rattus rattus, et Afrosoricida: Setifer setosus) pour rechercher des parasites gastro-intestinaux. Les nématodes avec des cycles de vie directs étaient les plus abondants. Ils incluaient des ascarides avec Ascaris sp. et vraisemblablement Ascaris petiti ; des strongylides avec Strongyloïdes spp. (probablement Oesophagostomum spp., Ankylostoma sp. et Chabertia sp.) et des trichurides (Trichuris sp. et Capillaria sp.). Nous avons également trouvé des trichostrongylides que nous avons provisoirement attribués à Trichostrongylus sp., Nematodirus sp. et Cooperia sp. ; des oxyurides tels Enterobius sp., probablement Heterakis sp., Lemuricola sp. et Syphacia sp. ; des spirurides. Quelques helminthes avec des cycles de vie indirects ont également été observés comme les cestodes cyclophyllides Hymenolepis spp. et une forme non identifiée. Les trématodes et acanthocéphales étaient rares et n’ont été trouvés que chez Microcebus murinus. Les Coccidies (Protozoa) existaient avec une très forte SI/MAB Series 11 ■ 247 Chapter 4.10 Gastrointestinal Parasites of Small Mammals in the Littoral Forest of Mandena Brigitte M. Raharivololona, Rakotondravao and Jörg U. Ganzhorn 1 Département de Paléontologie et d’Anthropologie Biologique, BP 906, Université d’Antananarivo, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar. Email: [email protected] 2 Department Animal Ecology and Conservation, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, 20146 Hamburg, Germany. Email: [email protected] 3 Département de Recherches Zootechniques et Vétérinaires/FOFIFA, BP 4, Antananarivo 101, Madagascar. 07_MadagascarRevisions_R4 3/7/08 3:38 PM Page 247