Measurements of Fleas (Siphonaptera) associated with sigmodontine rodents (Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae) from Ayacucho, Peru
Description
The data supporting the measurements (in um) taken for male and female fleas associated with sigmodontine rodents (Cricetidae: Sigmodontinae) from Ayacucho, Peru were included as supplementary material (S1). The data includes average, maximum (MAX), minimum (MIN), standard deviation (SD), and coefficient of variation (CV) in % of all measurements taken for the fleas.
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Sampling was conducted in 28 locations distributed across eight provinces of the Ayacucho Department, Peru, encompassing a wide variety of Andean and high-Andean ecosystems, including Andean agricultural zones, shrublands, steppe vegetation, puna grasslands, high-Andean wetlands, inter-Andean dry forests, mountain forests (montane and high-altitude), as well as relict high-Andean forests, Polylepis forests, riparian scrublands, and rocky outcrops, between 2360 and >4200 m. Geographic coordinates reported under “material examined” are expressed as 10 x 10 km UTM/MGRS grid references (WGS84 datum). Rodent sampling was carried out using Sherman live traps, according to the general criteria for biological inventories established by the Ministry of the Environment. The traps were baited with peanut butter, canned sardines, fresh or canned meat, local fruits, oats, and vanilla extract; this variation in baits aimed to increase the capture rate of species with different feeding habits. Between 40 and 80 traps were deployed at each sampling station, spaced approximately 10 m apart and operated for 24 h. The number of traps per station was adjusted according to habitat characteristics, accessibility, size of the area being evaluated, budget, and expert opinions. The fur and skin of the captured individuals were inspected to collect fleas manually, and all ectoparasites were preserved in 70% ethanol and transferred to the Laboratory of Research in Ecology and Animal Biodiversity (LEBA) of the National University Federico Villarreal for their respective processing and identification. Identification was performed using the taxonomic keys of Johnson (1957), the illustrated catalogs of Hopkins and Rothschild (1962; 1966), and the catalog of Smit (1987). Identification at the species and subspecies level was performed using specific taxonomic keys for each previously identified genus. Photographs and morphometric measurements were taken using a Nikon ECLIPSE Si trinocular optical microscope equipped with a 12 MP CMOS camera and ToupView 4.1 software, including a micrometer scale on each photograph. The measurements taken were included as supplementary material (S1). Three parasitological indices were calculated: prevalence percentage (%P), represented as the percentage of individuals of a host species infested by a flea species relative to the total number of individuals examined; Average abundance (AM), defined as the total number of parasites of a single species divided by the total number of individuals examined, and average intensity (IM), defined as the total number of parasites of the same species divided by the total number of hosts infested by the same species (Bush et al., 1997; Bautista-Hernández et al., 2015). All specimens were deposited in the collection of Parasitic Helminths and Related Invertebrates (HPIA) of the Natural History Museum of the Federico Villarreal National University, guaranteeing their traceability and conservation.