ASSOCIATION OF TICKS (ACARI, IXODOIDEA) WITH RODENT BURROWS IN NORTHERN SENEGAL

Four species of ticks were retrieved from burrows of 64 multimammate r ats, Mastomys erythroleucus (Temminck), 55 gerbils, Taterillus gracili s (Thomas) or T. pygargus (Cuvier), 13 Nile rats, Arvicanthis niloticu s (DeMarest), and five Geoffroy's ground squirrels, Xerus erythropus ( Geoffroy) from May 1987 through August 1988 at two study sites in nort hern Senegal. Ornithodoros sonrai Sautet & Witkowski were recovered fr om 95% (74/78) of burrows near Bandia and 6% (4/66) of burrows near Yo nofere. Eight Hyalomma truncatum Koch, four Rhipicephalus guilhoni Mor el & Vassiliades, and one R. sulcatus Neumann were recovered from 144 rodent burrows (nine tick-positive burrows) from both locations. No se asonal trend of tick abundance or activity was noted, nor was any patt ern of burrow preference by ticks detected. Rodent burrows in either l ocation appeared to be little used by ixodid ticks.