ARTHROPOD PARASITES OF ELEPHANT-SHREWS, WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO TICKS

Elephant-shrews from sub-Saharan Africa are infested by a large variet y of arthropod parasites including ticks, mites, fleas, lice and the l arvae of a calliphorid fly. Lists of the ectoparasites recorded from t hese animals are presented. Of particular importance are the ixodid ti cks infesting elephant-shrews, as several of these can cause toxicosis , particularly paralysis in domestic animals, while others serve as im portant vectors of disease. Twenty-seven ixodid tick species belonging to six genera recorded from elephant-shrews are listed. Both host- an d tick-dependent factors must be examined in order to determine the ec ology of ticks infesting elephant-shrews and their relationship to dis ease in domestic and wild animals.