Tabor S P, Williams D F, Germano D J, Thomas R E
BioSystems Analysis, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.
J Med Entomol. 1993 Jan;30(1):291-4. doi: 10.1093/jmedent/30.1.291.
The giant kangaroo rat, Dipodomys ingens (Merriam), has a limited distribution in the San Joaquin Valley, CA. Because of reductions in its geographic range, largely resulting from humans, the species was listed as an endangered species in 1980 by the California Fish and Game Commission. As part of a study of the community ecology of southern California endangered species, including D. ingens, we were able to make flea collections from the rats when they were trapped and marked for population studies. All but one of the fleas collected from the D. ingens in this study were Hoplopsyllus anomalus, a flea normally associated with ground squirrels (Sciuridae). It has been suggested that giant kangaroo rats fill the ground squirrel niche within their range. Our data indicate that this role includes a normal association with Hoplopsyllus anomalus.
巨型更格卢鼠（Dipodomys ingens，由梅里亚姆命名）在加利福尼亚州圣华金谷的分布范围有限。由于其地理分布范围的缩小，主要是人类活动导致的，该物种于1980年被加利福尼亚鱼类和狩猎委员会列为濒危物种。作为对包括巨型更格卢鼠在内的南加州濒危物种群落生态学研究的一部分，我们在捕获并标记这些老鼠以进行种群研究时，能够从它们身上收集跳蚤。在本研究中，从巨型更格卢鼠身上收集到的跳蚤，除了一只之外，都是异形蚤（Hoplopsyllus anomalus），这种跳蚤通常与地松鼠（松鼠科）有关。有人提出，巨型更格卢鼠在其分布范围内占据着地松鼠的生态位。我们的数据表明，这一角色包括与异形蚤的正常关联。
