University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Center for Systematic Entomology, Gainesville, Insecta Mundi Florida 4-15-2016 Arthropods infesting small mammals (Insectivora and Rodentia) near Cedar Point Biological Station in southwestern Nebraska Lindsey Howell University of Nebraska–Lincoln, [email protected] Katelyn Jelden University of Nebraska–Lincoln, [email protected] S. Elizabeth Rácz University of Nebraska - Lincoln, [email protected] Scott L. Gardner University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Donald D. Gettinger Manter Laboratory of Parasitology, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/insectamundi Part of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, and the Entomology Commons Howell, Lindsey; Jelden, Katelyn; Rácz, S. Elizabeth; Gardner, Scott L.; and Gettinger, Donald D., "Arthropods infesting small mammals (Insectivora and Rodentia) near Cedar Point Biological Station in southwestern Nebraska" (2016). Insecta Mundi. 954. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/insectamundi/954 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for Systematic Entomology, Gainesville, Florida at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Insecta Mundi by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. INSECTA MUNDI A Journal of World Insect Systematics 0478 Arthropods infesting small mammals (Insectivora and Rodentia) near Cedar Point Biological Station in southwestern Nebraska Lindsey Howell Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology University of Nebraska State Museum University of Nebraska – Lincoln Lincoln, NE 68588 USA Katelyn Jelden Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology University of Nebraska State Museum University of Nebraska – Lincoln Lincoln, NE 68588 USA Elizabeth Rácz Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology University of Nebraska State Museum University of Nebraska – Lincoln Lincoln, NE 68588 USA Scott L. Gardner Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology University of Nebraska State Museum University of Nebraska – Lincoln Lincoln, NE 68588 USA Donald Gettinger Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology University of Nebraska State Museum University of Nebraska – Lincoln Lincoln, NE 68588 USA Date of Issue: April 15, 2016 CENTER FOR SYSTEMATIC ENTOMOLOGY, INC., Gainesville, FL Lindsey Howell, Katelyn Jelden, Elizabeth Rácz, Scott L. Gardner, and Donald Gettinger Arthropods infesting small mammals (Insectivora and Rodentia) near Cedar Point Biological Station in southwestern Nebraska Insecta Mundi 0478: 1–16 ZooBank Registered: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B7E405E4-1ED7-477F-926E-C8A6FDB7FB1D Published in 2016 by Center for Systematic Entomology, Inc. P. O. Box 141874 Gainesville, FL 32614-1874 USA http://centerforsystematicentomology.org/ Insecta Mundi is a journal primarily devoted to insect systematics, but articles can be published on any non-marine arthropod. Topics considered for publication include systematics, taxonomy, nomenclature, checklists, faunal works, and natural history. Insecta Mundi will not consider works in the applied sciences (i.e. medical entomology, pest control research, etc.), and no longer publishes book reviews or editorials. 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Manter Laboratory of Parasitology University of Nebraska State Museum University of Nebraska – Lincoln Lincoln, NE 68588 USA [email protected] Katelyn Jelden Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology University of Nebraska State Museum University of Nebraska – Lincoln Lincoln, NE 68588 USA [email protected] Elizabeth Rácz Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology University of Nebraska State Museum University of Nebraska – Lincoln Lincoln, NE 68588 USA [email protected] Scott L. Gardner Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology University of Nebraska State Museum University of Nebraska – Lincoln Lincoln, NE 68588 USA [email protected] Donald Gettinger Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology University of Nebraska State Museum University of Nebraska – Lincoln Lincoln, NE 68588 USA [email protected] Abstract. Cedar Point Biological Station (CPBS) is located in the mixed grass prairie of the central Great Plains, at the transition between the subregions known as the “tall grass” and “short grass” prairies. Adding to the habi- tat diversity, there are wetlands and riparian habitats associated with the North Platte River and the edge of the Sandhills region of north central Nebraska. This concurrence of habitats supports a diverse small mammal community. The purpose of this paper is to assemble all published information on ectoparasites associated with small mammals (Insectivora, Rodentia) of southwestern Nebraska, and to report the results of an intensive survey carried out by students of the Parasitology fi eld course during two summers at CPBS. In 2012 and 2013, 27 species of mammal-associated arthropods were collected, including fi ve species of sucking lice (Anoplura), a chewing louse (Ischnocera), six species of fl eas (Siphonaptera), thirteen species of mesostigmatic mites (Laelapidae, Macronys- sidae, Macrochelidae), and two species of metastigmatic ticks (Ixodidae). These specimens were brushed from the pelage of 11 species of small mammals that were captured in a variety of habitats around CPBS. The arthropod list includes 17 new records for the State of Nebraska. This collection is housed in the Harold W. Manter Labora- tory of Parasitology (HWML), University of Nebraska State Museum, at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and serves as a taxonomic base for our continued efforts to establish a long-term catalog of parasites associated with small mammals in southwestern Nebraska. Key Words. Anoplura, ectoparasite, Ischnocera, Ixodidae, Laelapidae, Macrochelidae, Macronyssidae, Siphonaptera. 2 • INSECTA MUNDI 0478, April 2016 HOWELL ET AL. Introduction The landscape of Nebraska has been classifi ed into four categories – upland and lowland prairies, deciduous forests of the east, the geographically restricted ponderosa pine forests of the northwest, and the wetlands from the marshes, rivers, and lakes within the Sandhills region (Weaver 1965). At the southern edge of the Sandhills, the North Platte River pours into Lake McConaughy, a massive, man-made reservoir of water 35 kilometers in length by 5 kilometers in width held back by Kingsley Dam. Water spews from the dam into the smaller detention basin, Lake Ogallala, where Cedar Point Biological Station (CPBS), a fi eld station of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is located. Each sum- mer, students in the Field Parasitology class collect small mammals around CPBS, and examine them for their parasites. Through these efforts, it is possible to observe and describe the biodiversity of the area. Arthropods have evolved