First record of helminths of the European pine vole, Microtus subterraneus (Rodentia, Cricetidae) in Russia with overview on the rodent�s range

Abstract

The helminth’s fauna of small mammals of the Smolny National Park (Republic of Mordovia, Russia) was studied during 2018–2019. In total, 973 individuals of 14 species of small mammals were trapped, including 9 individuals of Microtus subterraneus (Rodentia, Cricetidae). Four European pine voles were found to be infected by helminths. The helminth fauna of pine voles was analyzed in Russia for the first time. Average abundance of helminths was found as 1.0. Three species of helminths were reported, namely: Anoplocephaloides dentata s. l., Hydatigera taeniaeformis s. l. (larva) and Heligmosomoides laevis. These are known as common parasites of the Microtus voles. The helminth fauna found in Microtus subterraneus is formed by the rodent’s lifestyle, it defined by herbivory of pine voles. The low species richness of helminths in the pine voles may also associated with a small number of animals studied and the low infection level of the rodents is defined by low abundance of this vole species in a wild. The review on the helminth’s fauna in Microtus subterraneus in the European range is presented. To date, 23 helminth species are recorded for the pine voles, namely: Trematoda — 1, Cestoda — 16 and Nematoda — 6. How to cite this article: Kirillova N.Yu., Kirillov A.A., Ruchin A.B. 2021. First record of helminths of the European pine vole, Microtus subterraneus (Rodentia, Cricetidae) in Russia with overview on the rodent’s range // Russian J. Theriol. Vol.20. No.1. P.19–24. doi: 10.15298/rusjtheriol.20.1.03.