Sur la contamination de la marmotte à longue queue du mont Gissar. On infection of long-tailed marmot inhabiting Gissar mountain ridge.

Résumé

Long-tailed marmot, Marmota caudata (Geoffroy, 1842-1843) inhabits mountain and high-mountain valleys and meadows of Pamir-Alai mountain system (Gissar, eastern part of Turkestan and western part of Zeravshan mountains), western and southern parts of Central Tien Shan, north-western China, northern India and north-eastern Afghanistan. In Uzbekistan, the subspecies M. c. aurea, Blandford, 1978. inhabits Ugam, Maidantal and Pskem ridges, Talas Alatau and Gissar ridge in the south of the republic, l,700 to 4,800 m above sea level.In August 1992, the material was collected in the river head of Kalasai, Gissar ridge in subalpine meadows. 3,000 to 3,200m above sea level. Nine infant marmots were found infected with the larvae of species-specific warble fly, Oestromyia marmotae, 1916 When 16 individuals-10 males and 6 females of different ages - were captured. Adult animals (four 2-year-old and tree 3-year-old individuals) had cicatrized scars. Infection rate of infant marmots by warble flies reached 67%. The number of the larvae ranged from l to 18 per one individual. Fistulas were observed on the abdomen of marmots. Massive maturation of the larvae was observed in the first half of August, which is probably related to the hibernation of the marmots beginning in mid-August and early September. Body weight of infant marmots ranged between 800 to 950 g. However, one marmot weighed 1550 g with only one larva found, whereas unaffected animals weighed 1300-1500g. The former infants had smaller body size value than the latter ones (3l-34 cm and 35-38.5 cm, respectively). High number of Oestromyia marmotae, 1916 appears to lead up to the arrest of the body weight gain and growth in the animals. Also, helminth: Citellina dispar and fleas Citellophilus lebedew, princeps (Ioff, 1946) were recorded in the marmots.