• The Korean Journal of Ecology
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.133-139
• /
• 2004

This study was conducted to clarify the preference and habitat condition of small mammals at the Hyeongsan river in Ulsan, Gyeongju, and Pohang from January 2003 to July 2003. In the study sites, total 111 individuals of Apodemus agrarius, Rattus norvegicus, and Micromys minutus were captured in study sites. The most abundant species were Apodemus agrarius, 79.2 percent, among the captured small mammals. Density of habitation was significantly higher in agricultural land than in either private house or woods. However, they were more abundant in paddy Weld area than in agricultural land. A number of captured small mammals were higher in herbaceous rather than three other vegetation types. Existent of river embankment and its type were important factors affecting the spatial distribution of the individuals. Preference of small mammals were significantly lower in revetment block area rather than in none or nature-stone mat area. There was significantly correlationship between the depth of water and the number of captured small mammals. A number of captured small mammals were clearly increased in reference to decreasing depth of water in study site, in conclusion, the following factors such as the vegetation structure, depth of water, types of land use and types of river dike could be affected the spatial distribution of small mammals in the study sites.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.35-38
• /
• 1967

A cursory study of small mammals on and near five military compounds where Korean Hemorrhagic Fever patients had been reported indicated that Mus musculus was more closely associated with man than all other mammals ccmbined. Therefore, there is a greater probability that Mus musculus is associated with the disease than any other species. Rattus rattus was common in villages and farm houses but was not abundant on military compounds. The two shrews, Crocidura lasiura and C. suaνeolens were uncommon, but they were often found in close association with hemorrhagic fever patients. Other small mammals were rare or lived in such places as to come in contact with man rarely.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.59 no.3
• /
• pp.319-324
• /
• 2021

Incidence of tsutsugamushi disease (scrub typhus) caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi, is steadily increasing. It is a mite-borne disease transmitted by chigger mites. In this study, the chigger mites were collected from field small mammals in Hwaseong-si (city), Gyeonggi-do (province), Korea, 2019 and 2020. The field small mammals captured were 56 Apodemus agrarius (94.9%) and 3 Crocidura lasiura (5.1%). A total of 7,531 chigger mites were collected from the captured small mammals. Using PCR test, 153 chigger mite pools were examined and 17 pools were reported positive for O. tsutsugamushi. The O. tsutsugamushi were identified to 5 strains; Jecheon strain was most prevalent, followed by Boryong strain. The other strains were OI011, Taguchi, and Shimokoshi. Collectively, these results provide essential regional information on mite-borne tsutsugamushi disease in the Hwaseong-si, and further contribute to bring awareness and rapid diagnosis for the tsutsugamushi disease.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.251-258
• /
• 1997

Few attempts have been made to discover the ecological function of coarse woody debris (CWD) despite its importance to small mammal population. Twenty-five pitfall traps and a hundred live traps were placed in three sites with high amounts of CWD and three sites with low amounts of CWD. Eleven species were caught, and Peromyscus maniculatus was the most abundant (45.6%, n=605). Among 11 speices, abundance of Tamias townsendii and Clethronomys gapperi were higher in sites with high amounts of CWD than in sites with low amounts of CWD. Home range size was larger in breeding season than in non-breeding season indicating mating search. Resident time of Peromyscus maniculatus was longer in sites with high amounts of CWD implying better stability in population. The increasing amount of coarse woody debris (CWD) enhanced the habitat use by small mammals, and animals in high amounts of CWD were more abundant and stable in population fluctuation. This study, therefore, concludes that CWD is a critical habitat element for small mammals in forest ecosystem.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.52 no.2
• /
• pp.225-229
• /
• 2014

A total of 9,281 larval chigger mites were collected from small mammals captured at Hwaseong-gun, Gyeonggi-do (Province) (2,754 mites from 30 small mammals), Asan city, Chungcheongnam-do (3,358 mites from 48 mammals), and Jangseong-gun, Jeollanam-do (3,169 for 62 mammals) from April-November 2009 in the Republic of Korea (= Korea) and were identified to species. Leptotrombidium pallidum was the predominant species in Hwaseong (95.8%) and Asan (61.2%), while Leptotrombidium scutellare was the predominant species collected from Jangseong (80.1%). Overall, larval chigger mite indices decreased from April (27.3) to June (4.9), then increased in September (95.2) and to a high level in November (169.3). These data suggest that L. pallidum and L. scutellare are the primary vectors of scrub typhus throughout their range in Korea. While other species of larval chigger mites were also collected with some implications in the transmission of Orientia tsutsugamushi, they only accounted for 11.2% of all larval chigger mites collected from small mammals.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
• /
• v.30 no.3
• /
• pp.159-175
• /
• 2014

A taxonomic study of small mammals (Erinaceomorpha, Soricomorpha and Rodentia) was conducted in order to find out the scientific names which have been used in Korea. The synonymy of each species and taxonomical research was reviewed and confirmed in this study. The species names are rearranged based on recent studies. Among the various confused names, available names were adopted such as follows: C. shantungensis shantungensis known as Crocidura suaveolens; C. shantungensis quelpartis known as C. dsinezumi; Rattus tanezumi known as R. rattus, called black rat, roof rat and ship rat, respectively. Apodemus sylvaticus (Muridae, wood mouse) is excluded in the checklist based on indistinct previous records and ambiguous habitation on the Korean Peninsula, and neighbors. In addition, we provide a new Korean vernacular name for Myocastor coypus, called the "Nutria" in Korea. We reflect that several species are repositioned to other genera. A checklist of Korean small mammals and synonym list for each species is provided to avoid confusion of scientific names in Korea. In this study, the list of small mammals in Korea is arranged to 33 species, 20 genera, 8 families, and 3 orders.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.56 no.1
• /
• pp.93-100
• /
• 2018

Some small mammals occur as household pests and harbour a number of parasites that could be of public health importance. This study profiled the helminth and protozoan parasites in trapped small mammals within and around human dwelling places (houses) located across 4 major towns (Auchi, Benin, Ekpoma, and Uromi) and environs in Edo state, Nigeria. Six genera (Apodemus sp., Crocidura sp., Mastomys natalensis, Mus musculus, Rattus sp., and Sorex sp.) were identified from 502 trapped small mammals. Overall, M. musculus (71.9%) and Rattus rattus (20.1%) were the most frequently trapped. In total, on examination of blood, gastrointestinal contents, and brain tissues, 12 helminth taxa (Angiostrongylus sp., Aspicularis sp., Capillaria sp., Gongylonema sp., Heterakis spumosa, Hymenolepis diminuta, Hymenolepis nana, Mastophorus muris, Moniliformis moniliformis, Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, Strongyloides sp., Trichosomoides sp., and Trichuris sp.), and 6 protozoan parasites (Babesia sp., Trypanosoma lewisi, Plasmodium sp., Eimeria sp., Isospora sp., and Toxoplasma gondii) were isolated. Most prevalent helminths with relatively heavy mean intensity were Strongyloides sp. and Heterakis spumosa, while Plasmodium, Eimeria, and Isospora were the most prevalent protozoan parasites. Generally, intrinsic factors like sex and age had marginal influence on the rate and burden of infection in M. musculus and R. rattus. Although the infection rate and prevalence of zoonotic parasites were low, they were largely recovered in rodents from Ekpoma. This study elucidates the public health implication of the presence of zoonotic parasites in these small mammals.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
• /
• v.40 no.2
• /
• pp.157-163
• /
• 2022

We analyzed the hair microstructure of Korean small terrestrial mammals, such as Rodentia and Lagomorpha, to classify the characteristics of hair morphology. Micromys minutus showed a unicellular irregular type of medulla structures; on the other hand, the other mammals showed multicellular structures. Regarding the cuticular scale structures, the Rodentia species exhibited a narrow and broad diamond petal type, while the Lagomorpha species exhibited an elongated petal type. Interestingly, the hair cross-sections showed quite unique characteristics. We constructed hair identification keys to distinguish species with a single hair. The dichotomous key of Rodentia and Lagomorpha can be used for their behavioral ecology and dietary analysis of upper predators to serve as the basis for ecological research.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.257-261
• /
• 2003

Population of small mammals (Apodemus agrarius and Crocidura lasiura) was monitored to identify the bioaccumulation of heavy metals in Gumho river basin around Daegu city. The small mammals were captured during 28 of May~12 of June, 2002. The techniques of live-trapping and snap-trapping were applied to capture the animals. A total of 39 animals were captured among which 53.3% (16130) of population were reached to breeding. Heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd) were analyzed. According to the analysis of heavy metal elements, Zn was more accumulated in kidney (6.83 mg $kg^{-1}$) than in liver (3.66). However, the accumulation of Cu was higher in liver than in kidney. Even though this site was relatively away from major industrial zones, heavy metals were wide spread along the stream of Gumbo River. This is the first quantitative study of small mammal bioaccumulation of heavy metals in Korea so that further research should be followed in other industrial areas that heavy metals were widely dispersed.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.47 no.4
• /
• pp.211-218
• /
• 2023

Background: Traditional wildlife monitoring has often relied on invasive techniques posing risks to species and demanding substantial resources. To address this, camera traps emerged as non-invasive alternatives, albeit primarily tailored for larger mammals, posing limitations for small mammal research. Thus, the Mostela, an innovative tool designed to overcome these challenges, was introduced to monitor small mammals in South Korea. Results: The Mostela was deployed at two study sites in South Korea, yielding compelling evidence of its efficiency in capturing small mammal species. By analyzing the collected data, we calculated the relative abundance of each species and elucidated their activity patterns. Conclusions: In summary, the Mostela system demonstrates substantial potential for advancing small mammal monitoring, offering valuable insights into diversity, community dynamics, activity patterns, and habitat preferences. Its application extends to the detection of endangered and rare species, further contributing to wildlife conservation efforts in South Korea. Consequently, the Mostela system stands as a valuable addition to the toolkit of conservationists and researchers, fostering ethical and non-invasive research practices while advancing our understanding of small mammal populations and ecosystems.