Parasitism of Cuterebra (Diptera: Oestridae) on rodents of islands of the Gulf of California, Mexico

Abstract

The genus, Cuterebra is an obligate dermal parasite of New World mammals that can cause problems with rodent reproduction. 2812 rodents of nine species from nine Gulf of California Islands were sampled for the presence of Cuterebra sp. Only two species of rodents were parasitized by Cuterebra sp. on two islands (Montserrat and Danzante): the canyon mouse, Peromyscus caniceps (n = 261) with a prevalence of 17.97% and the white-footed woodrat, Neotoma bryanti (n = 4) with a prevalence of 7.5%. The presence of a single parasite per individual was common (ao = 78.5%). Since P. caniceps is listed by the Mexican government as a conservation at risk species, the parasitism of Cuterebra sp. represents a potential risk to the viability of this endemic rodent population. This is the first record of Cuterebra sp. as parasite of rodents in the Gulf of California Islands, and P. caniceps represents a new host record. Key words: Bot fly, Peromyscus caniceps, Neotoma bryanti, Monserrat Island.