Demodex foveolator (Acariformes: Demodecidae) from Crocidura suaveolens (Soricomorpha: Soricidae) – the second observation worldwide, and a checklist of the demodecid mites of soricomorphs

Thus far, only six species of parasitic mites of the Demodecidae family have been recorded in hosts from the Soricomorpha: two from the common shrew (Sorex araneus), two from the Mediterranean water shrew (Neomys anomalus), one from the lesser white-toothed shrew (Crocidura suaveolens) and one from the European mole (Talpa europaea). The present study describes the identification of Demodex foveolator in C. suaveolens from the area of Poland (the Wielkopolska region). This is only the second record of this species in the world, a new mite species for the Polish fauna and a new host record in Poland, i.e. the first identification of Demodecidae in Crocidura mammals.