Abstract

ZARAGOZA QUINTANA, Elisa Paulina; COTERA CORREA, Mauricio; MARTINEZ ADRIANO, Cristian Adrian  and  SCOTT MORALES, Laura Magdalena. First record of Cuterebra sp. (Diptera: Oestridae) in rodents (Rodentia: Cricetidae) in Northeastern Mexico. Rev. mex. de cienc. forestales [online]. 2023, vol.14, n.79, pp.332-343.  Epub Oct 06, 2023. ISSN 2007-1132.  https://doi.org/10.29298/rmcf.v14i79.1362.

The Cuterebra genus (Diptera: Oestridae) includes species of dermic parasites infecting wild rodents and lagomorphs. In Mexico, 14 species of this parasite have been recorded and most of the reports of this interaction are from southern Mexico. This study describes the first record of Cuterebra sp. parasitizing three rodent species from Tamaulipan Thorny Scrub (TTS) in northeastern Mexico. From March to October 2020 and March to September 2021, rodents were captured within a preserved TTS fragment in Linares municipality, Nuevo Leon. Four rodent species were recorded: Heteromys irroratus, Onychomys leucogaster, Neotoma albigula and Peromyscus leucopus. Infected individuals were detected exclusively in the last three species. One male of O. leucogaster was captured with one Cuterebra sp. larva in the genital area, while from 12 N. albigula individuals were captured, only one adult female presented a larva in the pectoral region. From 86 captured individuals of P. leucopus, 15 were infected: five females (four adults and one juvenile) and 10 males (seven adults and three juveniles). The highest number of infected individuals was detected in October: four individuals of P. leucopus and one O. leucogaster. Although they are usually specific in their interaction, these parasites can also affect the natural predators of their hosts, domestic animals (cattle or pets) and humans. These new records provide relevant information on parasite-rodent interactions and their incidence and distribution in Mexico.

Keywords : Host; myiasis; botfly; Nuevo León; parasitism; rodents.