Distributional records of helminths of the swift fox (Vulpes velox) from New Mexico.
The swift fox, Vulpes velox, inhabits grasslands in the plains region of North America east of the Rocky Mountains, and, in New Mexico, they occur east of the Pecos River in short grass prairie habitats (Findley et al., 1975). Harrison (2003) and Kintigh and Anderson (2005) reported on the habits, habitat, and demography of swift foxes across New Mexico. We report on helminth parasites from 23 of 31 (74%) foxes that harbor worms.Most foxes were obtained as carcasses found on roads, but a few were shot or poisoned by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish. Foxes were placed in plastic bags and frozen until they could be examined in the laboratory. The gastrointestinal tract, heart, and trachea were examined. Helminths were preserved in 70% ethanol. Nematodes were later cleared and prepared as temporary mounts in glycerin for examination. Selected specimens were heated briefly in lactophenol to clear them and examine their internal anatomy. After study, they were returned to the glycerin. Cestodes were stained in carmine and mounted in Canada balsam for identification. All foxes and parasites examined were deposited in the University of New Mexico Museum of Southwestern Biology, Mammals and Parasitology Divisions, Albuquerque (Table 1).
Roundworms, Physaloptera rara, were found in the stomachs of 11 of 31 (35.5%) swift foxes. Species of Physaloptera have been reported in swift foxes from Oklahoma by Kilgore (1969) and Criffield et al. (2009), from northern Texas by Cutter (1958), from SE Colorado by Miller et al. (1998), and from the New York Zoological Park by McClure (1933). Pybus and Williams (2003) reported species of Physaloptera as common parasites of swift foxes. We also found an unidentified species of Physaloptera in five foxes. Unfortunately, these worms were so damaged they could not be confidently identified to species. However, three of the hosts also had worms that could be identified as P. rara; the damaged specimens are likely P. rara. Species of Physaloptera utilize various insects as intermediate hosts. We present the first report of P. rara in swift foxes from New Mexico.
Roundworms Toxascaris leonina were recovered from the intestine of one (3.2%) male swift fox from Quay County. Miller et al. (1998) reported Toxascaris in six of 15 (40%) swift foxes from southeastern Colorado, and Pybus and Williams (2003) considered T. leonina to be locally common in swift foxes. Criffield et al. (2009) reported Toxascaris in 34.6% of swift foxes in western Oklahoma, but Kilgore (1969) did not find it in swift foxes from the panhandle of Oklahoma, nor did Cutter (1958) find this nematode in swift foxes from northern Texas. We present the first report of T. leonina in swift foxes from New Mexico.
Roundworms Toxocara canis were recovered from the intestines of 17 (54.8%) swift foxes. Stiles and Baker (1935) and Erickson (1944) reported it from swift foxes. Kilgore (1969) reported this nematode from swift foxes in Oklahoma, and eggs of Toxocara were reported by Miller et al. (1998) in swift foxes from Colorado. Toxocara was reported from swift foxes from Oklahoma by Criffield et al. (2009) and from an animal in the New York Zoological Garden by McClure (1934). Pybus and Williams (2003) considered T. canis a common parasite of swift foxes. Because of its zoonotic potential as a parasite of humans, individuals handling swift foxes or their feces should take precautions. We present the first report of T. canis in swift foxes from New Mexico.
Other nematodes reported from the swift fox but not found in our study include Ancylostoma caninum, a species of Capillaria, Trichuris vulpis, Uncinaria stenocephala, and a species of Uncinaria (see McClure, 1933; Stiles and Baker, 1935; Erickson, 1944; Cutter, 1958; Kilgore, 1969; Miller et al., 1998; Pybus and Williams, 2003; Criffield et al., 2009). Riley (1921) provided a list of parasites of foxes but did not mention V. velox.
A tapeworm Dipylidium caninum was recovered from the intestines of 11 (35.5%) animals but never in large numbers. It was previously reported from swift foxes in northern Texas by Cutter (1958) and from the panhandle of Oklahoma by Kilgore (1969), but Criffield et al. (2009) did not find it in swift foxes in the panhandle of Oklahoma. Pybus and Williams (2003) suggested that D. caninum occurs throughout the entire range of swift foxes. A flea Pulex irritans commonly serves as an intermediate host for D. caninum. Harrison et al. (2003) reported this flea on 73.3% of swift foxes in New Mexico. This high percentage of fleas may account for the common occurrence of D. caninum in the swift foxes observed in our study. We present the first report of D. caninum in swift foxes from New Mexico.
A tapeworm Mesocestoides variabilis was recovered from nine (29.0%) foxes. It often occurred in large numbers, i.e., in excess of 200 worms/animal. Kilgore (1969) and Criffield et al. (2009) did not find this tapeworm in swift foxes from Oklahoma. Miller et al. (1998) found it in a single swift fox (7.1%) from Colorado and stated that the individual fox had severe gastrointestinal hemorrhaging. They considered their specimens of the cestode intermediate in morphology to Mesogyna hepatica Voge, 1952, and Mesocestoides of coyotes as described by Chandler (1944). Miller et al. (1998) believed their specimens might represent a new species. We agree with Dyer and Klimstra (1982) that the name Mesocestoides variabilis should be used for these tapeworms from foxes especially those with rectangular terminal proglottids. Ubelaker et al. (2013) reported M. variabilis in V. vulpes from New Mexico. We present the first report of M. variabilis in swift foxes from New Mexico.
Other reports of cestodes in swift foxes include Taenia (Kilgore, 1969; Aguirre, 2001; Criffield et al., 2009) and eggs of Monezia (Criffield et al., 2009). Kilgore (1969) found Taenia multiceps in three subadult swift foxes from the panhandle of Oklahoma, and Criffield et al. (2009) reported Taenia in 7.4% of swift foxes from Oklahoma. Pybus and Williams (2003) reported Taenia as a common parasite of swift foxes.
The most frequent helminths found in our study were the tapeworms Mesocestoides variabilis and Dipylidium caninum and the nematode Toxocara canis. Toxocara canis was the most prevalent parasite followed by M. variabilis and D. caninum. The least common parasite was the nematode Toxascaris leonina found only in one fox. Toxocara canis is common in domestic dogs and has a direct life cycle allowing easy transfer from fox to fox.
We thank J. Dunnum and S. Brant for assistance in the deposition and curation of hosts and their worms. G. Konicke added corrections to Table 1.
LITERATURE CITED
AGUIRRE, A. A. 2001. North America. Pages 91-118 in Helminths of wildlife (N. Chowdhury and A. A. Aguirre, editors). Science Publishers, Inc., Enfield, New Hampshire.
CHANDLER, A. C. 1944. A new species of Mesocestoides, M. kirbyi from Canis latrans. Journal of Parasitology 30:273.
CRIFFIELD, M. A., M. V. REICHARD, E. C. HELLGREN, D. M. LESLIE, JR., And K. Frell. 2009. Parasites of swift foxes (Vulpes velox) in the Oklahoma panhandle. Southwestern Naturalist 54:492-498.
CUTTER, W. L. 1958. Food habits of the swift fox in northern Texas. Journal of Mammalogy 39:527-532.
DYER, W. G., AND W. D. KLIMSTRA. 1982. Gastointestinal helminths in gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) of southern illinois. Transactions of the Illinois Academy of Sciences 75:289-295.
ERICKSON, A. B. 1944. Helminths of Minnesota Canidae in relation to food habits, and a host list and key to the species reported from North America. American Midland Naturalist 32:358-372.
FINDLEY, J. S., A. H. HARRIS, D. E. WILSON, AND C. JONES. 1975. Mammals of New Mexico. university of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque.
HARRISON, R. L. 2003. Swift fox demography, movements, denning, and diet in New Mexico. Southwestern Naturalist 48:261-273.
HARRISON, R. L., M. J. PATRICK, AND C. J. SCHMITT. 2003. Foxes, fleas, and plague in New Mexico. Southwestern Naturalist 48:720-722.
KILGORE, D. L., JR. 1969. An ecological study of the swift fox (Vulpes velox) in the Oklahoma panhandle. American Midland Naturalist 81:512-534.
KINTIGH, K M., AND M. C. ANDERSON. 2005. A den-centered analysis of swift fox (Vulpes velox) habitat characteristics in northeastern New Mexico. American Midland Naturalist 154:229-239.
MCCLURE, G. W. 1933. Nematode parasites of mammals from specimens collected in the New York Zoological Park, 1931. Zoologica 15:29-47.
MCCLURE, G. W. 1934. Nematode parasites of mammals from specimens collected in the New York Zoological Park, 1932. Zoologica 15:49-60.
MILLER, D. S., B. G. CAMPBELL, R. G. MCLEAN, E. CAMPOS, AND D. F. COVELL. 1998. Parasites of swift fox (Vulpes velox) from southeastern Colorado. Southwestern Naturalist 43:476-479.
PYBUS, M. J., AND E. S. WILLIAMS. 2003. A review of parasites and diseases of wild swift fox. Pages 45-61 in The swift fox ecology and conservation of swift fox in a changing world (M. A. Sovada and L. N. Carbyn, editors). Canadian Plains Research Center, university of Regina, Saskatchawan, Canada.
RILEY, W. A. 1921. An annotated list of the animal parasites of foxes. Parasitology 13:86-96.
STILES, C. W., AND C. E. BAKER. 1935. Key-catalogue of parasites reported from Carnivora (cats, dogs, bears, etc.) with their possible public health importance. United States Public Health Service, National Institute of Health Bulletin 163:913-1223.
UBELAKER, J. E., B. S. GRIFFIN, D. W. DUSZYNSKI, AND R. L. HARRISON. 2013. Distribution records for helminths of the red fox Vulpes vulpes from New Mexico. Southwestern Naturalist 58:111-112.
Submitted 17 January 2013. Acceptance recommended by Associate Editor Jerry L. Cook 2 July 2013.
JOHN E. UBELAKER, * BRETTON S. GRIFFIN, KIMBERLY M. MENDOZA, DONALD W. DUSZYNSKI, AND ROBERT L. HARRISON
Department of Biological Science, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275 (JEU, BSG, KMM) Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131 (DWD, RLH)
* Correspondent: ubelaker@smu.edu
TABLE 1--Parasites recovered from swift foxes (Vulpes velox)
collected in New Mexico. Collection number is given for each
host and parasite deposited at the Museum of Southwestern
Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.
Fox no. Sex County Dipylidium Mesocestoides
caninum variabilis
6162 Female Unknown 1005 1006
6164 Male Roosevelt
6168 Male Lea 1014 1015
6169 Female Lea 1018
6170 Male Lea 1020
6171 Female Lea 1022
6172 Male Lea 1027
6173 Male Lea 1029
6178 Female Lea
6181 Female Union
6189 Female Lea 1059
6195 Male Union
6198 Female Harding 1070
6199 Female Union 1072
6200 Female Union 1075
6201 Male Union 1078
6202 Male Union 1082
6211 Male Roosevelt
6233 Male Colfax 1117
6234 Male Harding 1119
6237 Female Harding 1124
6257 Male Roosevelt 1154
6263 Male Quay 1165
Fox no. Toxocara Toxascaris Physaloptera Physaloptera
canis leonina rara
6162 1007
6164 1010 1009
6168 1017 1016
6169 1019
6170 1021
6171 1026 1024
6172 1028
6173 1030
6178 1036
6181 1042
6189 1061 1060
6195 1067
6198 1071
6199 1073 1074
6200 1076 1077
6201 1079 1080 1081
6202 1083
6211 1093
6233 1118
6234 1121 1120
6237 1125
6257 1155
6263 1166 1168 1167
 Printer friendly
 Cite/link
 Email
 Feedback
| |
| Title Annotation: | NOTES |
|---|---|
| Author: | Ubelaker, John E.; Griffin, Bretton S.; Mendoza, Kimberly M.; Duszynski, Donald W.; Harrison, Robert |
| Publication: | Southwestern Naturalist |
| Article Type: | Report |
| Geographic Code: | 1U8NM |
| Date: | Mar 1, 2014 |
| Words: | 1828 |
| Previous Article: | Prevalence and intensity of the parasitic copepod (Salmincola californiensis) on kokanee salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) in a reservoir in Colorado. |
| Next Article: | Thermoregulation by a population of Aspidoscelis calidipes from Apatzingan, Michoacan, Mexico. |
| Topics: | |