Fleas (Siphonaptera) of Rodents in the Transcaucasian Highland Natural Plague Focus

Abstract

Abstract: The Transcaucasian highland vole-based natural plague focus is located on the Javakheti and Armenian plateaus and the Lesser Caucasus. The rodents distributed in this region are hosts to 42 species of fleas from 21 genera. One-third of the flea species are monoxenous parasites, and the remaining species are oligoxenous or pleioxenous parasites. The vole parasite Nosopsyllus consimilis is typical of the foothills and the middle mountain belt, while such vole parasites as Amalaraeus dissimilis daghestanicus, Callopsylla c. caspia, C. s. saxatilis, Paradoxopsyllus h. hesperius, Frontopsylla c. caucasica, Amphipsylla kuznetzovi, Rhadinopsylla caucasica, and Paraneopsylla dampfi occur in the highlands. The ranges of 24 flea species cover the entire plague focus, while other species are confined to the Armenian Plateau (Citellophilus transcaucasicus, Oropsylla idahoensis ilovaiskii, Neopsylla setosa spinea, Ctenophthalmus iranus, C. shovi, C. secundus), the Javakheti Plateau (Amphipsylla georgica), or the Lesser Caucasus (C. wladimiri). The warm season is the most favorable time for plague transmission in the Transcaucasian focus, since fleas infesting the common vole actively feed and reproduce during this period. The most active pathogen vector among them is Callopsylla c. caspia.