Ectoparasite of Tupaia glis (Scandentia: Tupaiidae) from Lingai agricultural area, Terengganu

Objective: To investigate ectoparasite fauna on the common tree shrew [Tupaia glis (T. glis)] in\udLingai agriculture area, Terengganu.\udMethods: The sampling was conducted once a month with five consecutive days from\udNovember 2012 to February 2013. Five mammal cage traps (60 cm × 30 cm × 30 cm) and 30\udrat cage traps (45 cm × 15 cm × 15 cm) baited with banana, salt fish or fleshy-grilled coconut\udwere used. One line transect was built and each trap was set up along the line transect with\ud5 m intervals. Ectoparasite was collected by combing host’s fur vigorously and kept in vials\udcontaining 70% ethanol.\udResults: Out of 23 hosts examined, 20 individuals (87%) of T. glis in Lingai agricultural area\udwere infested by three species of ticks and two species of mites. It was found that Laelaps\udechidninus showed higher mean intensity (5) as compared to the other ectoparasites. However,\udthe prevalence was higher on Ixodes sp. (43.5%) though its mean intensity was among the\udlowest (1.9) from the rest.\udConclusions: This study provides useful information of ectoparasite fauna infesting T. glis in\udthe agricultural area. It is important to have knowledge regarding what type of ectoparasite\udinfests small animals in agricultural area, which in turn can assist responsible agencies to take\udprecaution if epidemic outbreaks caused by tick-borne zoonotic diseases occur in the future