Mesostigmatid mite infestations of rodents in diverse biotopes of central and southern India

Examination of 165 rodents trapped in domestic, peridomestic, and feral biotopes of central and southern India revealed the presence of 1,359 mesostigmatid mites. Rodents in central India were infested with 1 species of mite, Laelaps nuttalli; 98% of these mites were recovered from the peridomestic rodent Bandicota bengalensis. Material from the burrow nest of a peridomestic rodent examined in central India revealed the mite, Hypoaspis miles. Rodents from the diverse biotopes of southern India were infested by 8 species of mites: L. nuttalli, Laelaps buxtoni, Laelaps myonyssognathus, Androlaelaps aduncus, Androlaelaps marshalli, Androlaelaps sp. A, Hypoaspis sp. 1, and Hypoaspis sp. 2. Sheep from nearby villages regularly graze in feral biotopes. From the hair of these sheep, 2 species of mesostigmatid mites were recovered, A. aduncus and A. marshalli. The sheep appeared to aid the dispersal of rodent-infesting mites passively. Laelaps nuttalli was the predominant mite species found on the peridomestic rodent B. bengalensis. In both central and southern India, the prevalence, mean intensity, and relative density of this mite were much higher on peridomestic rodents than on domestic and feral rodents. A significant negative correlation was found between the numbers of mites and fleas infesting rodents in central India. A highly significant positive association between A. marshalli and A. aduncus on the feral rodent Tatera indica was recorded. In southern India, the overall prevalence of the 8 species of mites was highest on Mus platythrix. However, the combined prevalence of these mites on 2 feral rodents T. indica and M. platythrix was lower than their prevalence on B. bengalensis. Similarly, the combined values for mean intensity and relative density of these mites on the 2 feral rodents were lower than on the peridomestic rodent B. bengalensis.