| ectoparasite load in the crested porcupine hystrix cristata linnaeus, 1758 in central italy. | the crested porcupine hystrix cristata is a large body-sized rodent, occurring in europe only in the italian peninsula, where it may have been introduced in early medieval times. its parasite fauna is currently poorly known and limited to few anecdotal observations. we have analyzed the ectoparasite load of 165 crested porcupines from tuscany and latium (central italy). both captured and road-killed individuals were checked for fleas and ticks. overall, only 39 porcupines were infested by four s ... | 2015 | 25773184 |