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asite in only one squirrel from our sample. The iiigher prevalences of this parasite in. Putnam. County could have. 1)een the result of a local phenomenon, sucii.
Journal

A COMPARISON FROM

OF PARASITIC

TWO

SUBSPECIES

(SCIURUS Donald

NIGER)

F. Coyner,13

of

HELMINTHS

OF FOX

Wildlsfr

AND

:32(:3).m996, II

Diseas,’s, © \Vildlife

Disease

492-497

Association

1996

ARTHROPODS

SQUIRRELS

IN FLORIDA

John

B. Wooding,2

and

Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA 2 Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, 4005 South Main Street, Gainesville, Florida 32601, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA

Donald

Medicine,

J. Forrester13 University

of Florida,

Wildlife Research Laboratory, USA University of Florida,

Tue

faummuas of parasitic helminths and arthropods of 87 Sherman’s fox squirrels (Sciuand 32 Big Cypress fox squirrels (Sciurus niger avicennia) collected from Florida (USA) over a 6-yr period (1988 to 1993) were compared. One acanthocephialan, one cestode, nimme muemuuatodes, omme flea, three sucking lice, three mites, one tick, and one dipteran larva were identified. Citellinema hifurcatum and Physaloptera fliasSiflo were new records for Florida amid Gongylonema pulchruin, Neotrombicula whartoni, and Eushoengastia diversa were muew host records. Thuree core species of nematodes (distributed widely, highly host specific, and very prevalenut) were identified from Sherman’s fox squirrels. These included Strongyloides rohu.s’tus, Heliginodendrium huas.s’alli, amid C. bifurcatum, which were higher in prevalence and intensity in Shmermuuanu’s fox squirrels than in Big Cypress fox squirrels. One core species of cestode (Raillietina hakeri) was collected from 32% of Sherman’s fox squirrels, but was not observed in ABSTRACT: i-us

niger

Big

Cypress

sherman)

fox

parasites

fromum

sqmmirrels.

words:

Key

Time

Shiernman’s

Fox

fox

number

of

squirrels

squirrel,

species,

prevalences,

greater

than those shermani,

were Sciurns

parasites,

niger

INTRODUCTION

The

intensities,

The

fox

(Scm

squirrel

tree

i-us

niger)

the

in

squirrel

spimere ammd tile nuost vari-colored in North Anmerica (Webster Hall

(1981)

squirrels, peninsular with the fox

subspecies

of

which

are

Florida (USA). largest body size

squirrel

(S.

distributed

niger

of

(Kantola

ftx

Cypress inhabits

time

squirrel Big

Water

Time Fish

Sherman’s

cies press (Wood, reviewed

Wildlife (langered

of

special fox

squirrel 1994).

Species

1990).

Time avicennia) ecosystein

(Humphrey

Florida

Commimission

Both

amld

(BCFS) as subspecies by

for

the

listing

(1957),

(GFC)

lists

the

Big

U.S.

under

Fish the

(Kinsella,

palustris) species

of

1992). However, a limited survey is known

Peromyscus with

about in

the

the exMoore parasite

Florida. Our the internal

in

asites

and

regard

In of

this

to

of

subspecies,

study,

we

information on from Florida. MATERIALS

fox

oband of in par-

with

fauna

by

squirrels

squirrels

“threatened” are being

as the (Conti cotton 1974),

Florida, the prevalences and intensities these parasites, and to assess differences the abundance and diversity of these

line

Cy-

(Oryzomys

parasite

from

such 1991), the (Kinsella,

hispidus)

of fox squirrels was to determine

season.

as a “spe-

rodents

et al.,

several

of

external

and

and

rat

of

squuirrels.

carolinensis’)

Wilson

little

fauna jective

many

studied,

(Sciurus

and

(Forrester, ception

Big

Game (SFS)

comicern”

curremitly

Service

mesic central

rice

1988)

to

which is and xeric Florida

niger

fox squirrel

the

of

been

squirrel

abundances

Cypress fox niger avicennia.

Sciurns

have

et al., 1984; rat (Sigmodon

subspecies Sherman’s

swamp

Florida

1992).

Fresh

the

(S.

Cypress

southwestern

Jodice,

and

Humpimrey,

gray

fox

endemic

The is the

tile

miorthern

amid

of

slu’rmani),

tllrougllout

habitats

of

ten

the

henui-

mammal al., 1985).

et

listed two

is

westermi

and

Big

parasites

Florida largest

from

AND

provide

parasitism

sex,

a base-

in

fox

METHODS

Eighty-seven SFS and 32 BCFS were collected from 26 counties in Florida from 1988 through 1993. Sherman’s fox squirrels were collected between 30#{176}35’N, 84#{176}40’W and 30#{176}35’N,

and En-

Act. 492

COYNER

ET AL-PARASITES

21

OF FOX

December

thromughi

her,

June,

21

I

III

(SAS used

Institute, for data

used

to

tions.

Intensity

March,

June

Cary,

20

the

Levels

Decenmuher, Systemuu USA)

was

analyses

prevalences

using

Septemum-

Carolina,

Chi-squmare

data

March

20

Analysis

North

analysis.

493

21

through

Statistical

conupare

FLORIDA

thirouugh

The

CATMOD. 0.05.

2S1K

20

21

September

respectively.

gression

FROM

through

20

and

SQUIRRELS

were

betweeni

were

analyzed

analysis

of

popula-

by logistic variance

of significance

re-

progranuu

were

set

P

at

RESULTS Eleven

N

tified

species

from

cluding

FIGURE

1.

squirrels

(A,

Collectioni

(#{149}.n

n

32)

=

87)

=

from

for

sites

amid

Big

Florida,

Shermanu’s

Cypress

1988

to

fox

fox

nine

SFS

and

asitic

squirrels

amid

the

27#{176}10’N,

north

amid

80#{176}40’W

Cypress

fox

26#{176}40’N,

81#{176}30’W

27#{176}10’N,

in the

squirrels

soutim

82#{176}28’W

(Fig.

1).

Big

were collected betweemu 26#{176}40’N, 81#{176}00’W in time

and

amid 25#{176}55’ N, 81#{176}20’W and 25#{176}45’N, 81#{176}20’\V imi the south. Animals were collected by shotgun (n = 33) and as road-kills (n 86). Taxiderniuists provided some of the carcasses collected by shotgun (n = 27); in these cases nortiu

time

skins

inuals

had

were

been

remuuoved

examuiined

Carcasses

were

for

frozen

Ectoparasites

were

and

Imence

internal

time

by

Representative

sent

to

the

Institute

Parasitology,

anmd

(Case

02).

of

brushing

Mite

retention

samples

Veterimiary

the

as

were

to

(USA), for identification er specimens (Accession One

and larval

bot

specinuuens

mu time ville, 83421 used

ter,

U.S.

National

Maryland

spring,

helminths

definied

were

Parasite (Accession

through as

of

83433). by

for

sunumuuer,

and

fall were

iden-

(P

tion

(P

distribution

were

of

Win-

as

was

with 119

season in

or

H.

SFS

tilan

was

no

sig-

sex.

He-

tiian

in

prevain

BCFS

season of collecrelated to its of

the

6,122

hassalli

SFS,

hel-

made

prevalence 34

in

SFS

more

of

Citellinema from

ro62%

host

was

Florida;

animals.

collected

and

prevalence

there

Host sex and not significantly

a total

pul-

helnminth

in

hassalli

in

as

G.

imi SFS

Both

but

collected,

miel-

comprising

0.02),

abundant

0.05). were

minths

Florida,

to

ru in,

Bob for

prevalent

greater

in

Syphi-

Strongyloides

collected.