Some ectoparasites of commensal rodents from Huambo, Angola

Eight species of ectoparasites were collected from 166 commensal rodents, including Rattus rattus (L.), Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout), and Mus musculus (L.), from January to December 1986, in Huambo, Angola. The oriental rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis (Rothschild), was the predominant species with respect to mean intensity and prevalence. Other fleas collected were Ctenophthalmus (Ethioctenophthalmus) machadoi Ribeiro, Dinopsyllus (Dinopsyllus) smiti Ribeiro, and Echidnophaga gallinacea (Westwood). The mite Laelaps (Echinolaelaps) muricola Tragardh, the louse Polyplax spinulosa (Burmeister), one species of Ixodes Latreille, and one species of Ornithonyssus Sambon were also recorded. The following represent new host records: C. machadoi from R. rattus and R. norvegicus, D. smiti from M. musculus, and L. muricola from R. rattus and M. musculus. For the first time, the monthly flea indices throughout the year are presented for Angola.