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Evolutionary, molecular and comparative zoology
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 57(6)

Parasites of Rattus colletti (Rodentia : Muridae) from the Adelaide River floodplain, Northern Territory, and comparison with assemblages in other Rattus species

E. Mulder A B D and L. R. Smales A C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Health, Central Queensland University, Bruce Highway, North Rockhampton, Qld 4701, Australia.

B Present address: Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Scotia Sanctuary, via Wentworth, NSW 2648, Australia.

C Parasitology Section, South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia.

D Corresponding author. Email: eridani@australianwildlife.org

Australian Journal of Zoology 57(6) 377-383 https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO09072
Submitted: 19 June 2009  Accepted: 2 November 2009   Published: 18 December 2009

Abstract

This study documents the parasite assemblage of Rattus colletti (Thomas, 1904) from the Adelaide River flood plain, Northern Territory, Australia. In total, six species of helminth (comprising two cestodes, one trematode and three nematodes), and four species of arthropod (comprising one tick, one mite, one flea (identified to family level) and one louse (identified to generic level)) were found. In spite of the hosts being present in high numbers the helminth assemblage was depauperate, characterised by low prevalence and abundance, both being higher in wet seasons. More helminths were found in larger animals. The most prevalent helminth was from the Trichostrongylina, Nippostrongylus typicus (Mawson, 1961). The assemblage was characterised as having two heirloom species (N. typicus and Hymenolepis diminuta (Rudolphi, 1819)), a host capture (Raillietina celebensis (Janicki, 1902) and a cosmopolitan species (Mastophorus muris (Gmelin, 1790)) as well as occasional infections. When compared with the helminths from a single population of Rattus sordidus (Gould, 1858) a similar number of species were found, three species being in common, and both were depauperate when compared with the more extensively surveyed faunas of Rattus fuscipes (Waterhouse, 1839) and Rattus leucopus (Gray, 1858).


Acknowledgements

We thank L. Small and staff, Berrimah Veterinary Laboratory, for generous provision of bench space during field work, and Prof. I. Beveridge and Dr H. Weaver, who kindly helped with the identification of cestodes and arthropods respectively. E. Mulder thanks D. Ferguson and Dr A. Phillott for assistance in the field. This research was carried out under the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory Permit Nos 13080, 12827, 15671, 18262, 20683 and the Central Queensland University Animal Experimentation Ethics Committee Clearance No. A03/06-144. This research was funded by a CQU postgraduate scholarship.


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