Arthropods Associated with Mammals. Their Importance as Part of the Richness in a Biosphere Reserve in Mexico

The Chamela Biological Station (ChBS) is located in the Pacific Coast of Mexico in the State of Jalisco. This represents one of the core areas of the Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve, characterized by one of the most threatened ecosystems, the tropical dry forest. Although accumulated knowledge of biological diversity, only few studies have been focused on ectoparasites or ectodytes associated with mammals, only 23 arthropod taxa had been recorded. In order to increase knowledge about arthropods associated with Mexican mammals, the objective of this work was to record the richness of arthropods (mites, ticks, lice, and fleas) associated with small and medium-sized mammals in the ChBS. A total of 81 hosts belonging to four orders, six families and nine species were captured. From these hosts, 4,946 arthropods were recovered: 4,007 mites, 673 ticks, 230 lice, and 36 fleas. Among medium-sized mammals, Nasua narica (L.) and Didelphis virginiana Kerr showed the highest levels of richness, with six arthropod taxa; among rodents, Heteromys pictus (Thomas) had the highest number of associated species (five). Within the 22 arthropod taxa registered in the present work, 12 represent new records for the reserve, and 3 represent new records for Mexico. With this study, the arthropod fauna associated with mammals in the ChBS has been raised to 38 taxa. In terms of biological conservation, knowledge of the species that inhabit natural reserves must be a priority, since this represents the baseline for species protected, not only in Mexico but around the world.