Comparison of Chiggers (Acari: Trombiculidae, Leeuwenhoekiidae) on Two Sibling Mouse Species, and (Rodentia: Muridae), in Southwest China.

Chigger mites (Acari) are common ectoparasites on rodents, and they are the exclusive vector of scrub typhus. South China field mouse () and Lantsang field mouse () are two sibling rodent species. Based on field investigations in southwest China (2001-2015), this paper compared the infestation of these two mouse species with chiggers. Of 42 chigger species identified from two mouse species, 36 were found on , 11 on and 5 common species on both mice. Jaccard similarity index ( = 0.12, < 0.25) showed a very different species composition of chiggers on two mouse species, and some parameters of the chigger community were also different. The overall mean intensity of chiggers on ( = 4.26) was higher than that on ( = 3.91, < 0.05). The dominant chigger species on were , (a major vector species in China) and with a total constituent ratio = 42.9% (106/247). and independently occurred on with an association coefficient = 0.09 ( ≈ 0). The dominant chigger species on were , and , with a total = 58.14% (25/43). and on had a slight positive association ( = 0.49, 0.5 < < 1). All dominant chigger species were unevenly distributed among different individuals of two mouse species. Chigger infestation showed sex bias on different sexes of two mouse species. The species abundance of the chigger community on was revealed as a log-normal distribution pattern.