Inter- and Intra-Species Variation and Genetic Diversity of Flea Ectoparasites in Hedgehogs (Mammalia, Erinaceidae) Collected in Northern Algeria.

ABSTRACT: Hedgehogs are small omnivorous mammals prevalent across Europe, Asia, and Africa. The expanding intrusion of humans into hedgehog habitats and rising popularity of keeping exotic animals like hedgehogs as pets have disrupted the delicate balance of the human-animal-environment interface. Despite their ecological importance, hedgehog-borne flea species have received limited research attention, with most studies focusing on their vectorial role, and except one report, nothing on the species composition and genetic diversity of hedgehog flea specimens. An inventory and phylogenetic investigation, conducted for the first time in Algeria as well as in North Africa, allowed for collecting 45 hedgehogs (15 males and 30 females) and 303 fleas, and analyzing them through morphological and molecular

SUBMITTER: Chebbah O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12027516 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature