The ectoparasites and gastrointestinal helminths associated with Smith's bush squirrel (Paraxerus cepapi) in South Africa.

Paraxerus cepapi is an arboreal tree squirrel that occurs in the Savanna biome of Africa, and information on its parasite diversity is limited and mostly qualitative. The aim of the study was to record the diversity and abundance of ecto- and helminth parasites associated with P. cepapi across its distribution in South Africa. P. cepapi individuals (n = 94) were opportunistically obtained from eight localities during 2020 to 2024. In total, 21 parasite species (19 ectoparasites and two nematodes) and one tick species group were identified. This included lice, ticks, fleas, a mesostigmatic mite, chiggers, nematodes and cestodes. Nematodes were the most prevalent (93·67%), followed by lice (80·85%). Syphatineria cepapi was recorded in 92·41% of P. cepapi, while an unknown Strongyloides species, resembling S. robustus, was recorded in 21·52% of squirrels. The lice species displayed variation in parasitope preference, while chiggers were primarily recorded in the ears. This study provides new country records for the lice species Werneckia paraxeri and Enderleinellus heliosciuri, for the chigger species Microtrombicula polymorpha, and for the nematode S. cf. robustus. New locality records were documented for the nematode S. cepapi in South Africa, and P. cepapi is a new host record for the eight chigger species and S. cf. robustus. It is evident that P. cepapi in South Africa hosts a considerably larger diversity of parasite taxa than previously recorded. Nematode counts were related to host length. These findings warrant future studies on the parasite diversity of P. cepapi in Africa.