Studies on dynamics of body and burrow nest fleas of Meriones unguiculatus

LI Zhong lai 1, ZHANG Wan rong 2, Yan Wen liang 2 (1.Department of Mathematics, Beijing Normal University, Beijing\ 100875; 2.Endemic Disease Control Station of Yikezhao League, Dongsheng\ 017000)

body flea; burrow nest flea; Meriones unguiculatus; Nosopsyllus laveiceps kuzenkovi; Xenopsylla conformis conformis

An investigation on the body fleas and burrow nest fleas of Meriones unguiculatus in Etuokeqian Banner of Yikezhao League, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region during 1982 ～ 1996 was summarized as follows: There were fifteen flea species on the gerbil′s body with Xenopsylla conformis conformis (50 8%) as the dominant one and Nosopsyllus laveiceps kuzenkovi (40 6%) coming second. There were fifteen flea species in the gerbil′s burrow nest with N. l. kuzenkovi (74 3%) as the dominant species and the common species being Neopsylla galea (11 9%) and Coptopsyllus lamellifer ardua (8 1%). The index of the yearly burrow nest flea averaged 6 92 times that of the body flea. No correlation was found between the fleas of body and burrow nest ( P >0 05), and between their infection rates ( P >0 05). Both the diversity and evenness of body and burrow nest fleas were stable relatively in different years. As the burrow nest flea index of N. l. kuzenkovi in spring or autumn reached above ten in two successive years, the animal plague might occur.