A Review of Flea Collection Records from Onychomys Leucogaster with Observations on the Role of Crasshopper Mice in the Epizoology of Wild Rodent Plague
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Great Basin Naturalist Volume 48 Number 1 Article 14 1-31-1988 A review of flea collection ecorr ds from Onychomys leucogaster with observations on the role of grasshopper mice in the epizoology of wild rodent plaque Rex E. Thomas Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Hamilton, Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn Recommended Citation Thomas, Rex E. (1988) "A review of flea collection ecorr ds from Onychomys leucogaster with observations on the role of grasshopper mice in the epizoology of wild rodent plaque," Great Basin Naturalist: Vol. 48 : No. 1 , Article 14. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbn/vol48/iss1/14 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Western North American Naturalist Publications at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Basin Naturalist by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. A REVIEW OF FLEA COLLECTION RECORDS FROM ONYCHOMYS LEUCOGASTER WITH OBSERVATIONS ON THE ROLE OF CRASSHOPPER MICE IN THE EPIZOOLOGY OF WILD RODENT PLAGUE Rex E. Thomas Abstract —Published records of fleas collected from the northern grasshopper mouse, Ontjchomtj.s leuco^aster, indicate that these mice have a great deal of intimate environmental contact with other rodents or their burrows. Fifty-seven species of fleas have been collected from the omnivorous grasshopper mouse. The range of this mouse overlaps much of the distribution of plague. Yersinia pestis, in the western United States; and nearly one-halt of the flea species collected from O. leuco^astcr arc known to be of importance in the epizoology of plague. This article discusses the importance of the association of fleas with a hospitable secondary host in the maintenance and transmission of wild rodent plague. Wenzel and Tipton (1966) defined host spe- often kill and consume other small rodents cies that provide suitable conditions for a large (Flake 1973). Hubbard (1947) described them ectoparasite fauna as euxenous or hospitable very colorfully as hosts. For example, certain hosts such as the sa\ age little brutes and miuderous little carnivores whose opossum, Didelphi.s marsiijyialis. collect a dis- marauding habits tell in their fleas, for upon them can be proportionately large number oi ectoparasitic fovuul all the desert species, fleas picked up from their species in comparison to others. Such hosts victims as they pommel and kill them. play potentially important evolutionary and of rodent fleas ecological roles by providing physical, behav- Traub (1985) credits the success adapted to arid habitats as due to the survival ioral, and/or physiological conditions ade- strategies of in the fur of the host quate for a large number of ectoparasite spe- remaining or, unattached, remaining wholly in the cies. Dissemination of ectoparasites between when ecologically restricted populations of pre- burrow. It would certainly be to the advan- ferred hosts by carrier hosts benefits the para- tage of fleas on the victim of a grasshopper to move, at least temporarily, onto the sites by providing opportunities for dispersal mouse and colonization of new host populations or Onycliomys to avoid a harsher second-order gene exchange with established populations. environment. As a species, northern grass- variety Wenzel and Tipton noted that since host spe- hopper mice are certainly exposed to a their semi-carnivorous nature. cies with large flea faunas must have contacts of fleas due to with many other host species or their immedi- This, however, is not adequate to explain the ate habitats, they are likely to acquire patho- phenomenal flea fauna that published records gens from ecologically more restricted hosts collectively indicate O. leucogaster to have or their parasites and thus become carriers or (Table 1). reservoirs themselves. The northern grasshopper mouse, Onij- Host Specificity chomijs leucogaster, is an example of such an animal. Members of the genus Onijchomys In a survey of flea/host associations involved are unique among North American cricetine in the ecology of plague in the western United rodents in that they are true omnivores States, Eskey and Haas (1939) reported over (Landry 1970). The range of O. leucogaster 50 species of fleas from 30,000 small wild ani- extends from Mexico to Canada in the arid mals. They observed that all of the rodent flea plains and deserts of the western United species exhibited some degree of specificity, States (Fig. 1). While much of their diet prob- which limited them to one host species or a ably consists of arthropods, these mice will group of biologically related rodents. They National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Alleri;\ and Infectious Diseases, Rock\ Mountain Laboratories. Hamilton, Montana 59840. 83 84 Great Basin Naturalist Vol. 48, No. 1 Compiled from various sources (McCarty, 1978) Fig. I. The historical occurrence of liuman and animal plague in the United States (by county) from 1900 to 1986 (A), and the distribution of the northern grasshopper mouse, Onychomys leucogaster, in the United States (B). also noted that among wild rodents having flea's ecological needs (Holland 1958). Hop- environmental contact with each other, some kins (1957) emphasized the physical condi- degree of flea interchange occurs constantly. tions provided b\' the host in determining It is not uncommon for survey data to report limitations to host utilization. Many fleas may collection of a flea species from other than its be adapted more to nest conditions favorable primary host. Collection records convention- to eggs and larvae than to other factors ally include the flea species recovered from identified with a particular host (Hopkins various hosts in a restricted area over a rela- 1957). Benton and Miller (1979) noted that tively short period of time. As these data accu- Peromijscopsylla h. hainifer occurs over most mulate, the geographical and seasonal distri- of the range of its normal host, Microttis spp., bution of fleas on host species with which they l)ut appears to be limited to flood plains where are commonly associated are subject to anal\ - the soil type or soil moisture pro\ ides neces- sis over their entire range. Stark (1986) has sary reciuirements. Other flea species are cli- pointed out the difficulty of establishing reli- matically restricted, and climate changes with able terminology to describe host associa- altitude (Barnes et al. 1977, Wenzel and Tip- tions. He suggests use of the terms "primary, ton 1966). "secondary," and "accidental" as used by Hol- Buffer (1965) described several types of land (1964), but notes the freciuent use of burrows constructed by O. leucogaster in a "major" and "principal" as ec^uivalent terms. test arena but (juoted Bailey and Sperr\' (1929) Collection of a flea from other than its pri- as stating that it is ({uestionable whether they mary host can be interpreted in two ways. dig their own burrows, use abandoned bur- Either the flea is physically and/or physiologi- rows, or use those of their prey. Bailey (1931) cally adapted to one species of host by specific felt that they occupied an\ burrow found habitat or blood-meal re(juirements (e.g., abandoned or from w Inch the\ could e\ ict the SpilopsijUns rauictili on Onict(>l(i<iiis cit- owner. If the host en\ ironment is a primary niculiis [Rothschild 1965J), and records from factor in determining host suitability, then other hosts are temporary associations; or the grasshopper mice could satisfy some of the flea and the host depend on similar ecological needs of many flea species by inhabiting the re(juirements, and host ranges overlap in such burrow from which the fleas were acciuired. a way that more than one species satisfies the The flea collection data presented in Table 1 ) ') January 1988 THOMAS; Grasshopper Mouse Fleas 85 Table 1. Species of fleas collected from Oiujcliomys spp., their noniial hosts', location of collection (city, county, state), and collection reference. AnomiopsyUus amphibohis (Neotoma, Pcromysnis and other rodent genera-nest flea) Caliente, Lincoln, Nevada (Barnes etal. 1977) A. hicmalis (Neotoma -nest flea) (Eads and Menzies 1948) , , Texas [several], Texas (Eads 1950) , A. novomexicensis (Neotoma -nest flea) Roswell, Chaves, New Mexico (Graves et al. 1974) Las Cruses, Dona Ana, New Mexico (Barnes et al. 1977) Catallagia decipiens (Small rodents esp. Peromyscus, Microtus, and Clcthrionomys) White Horse Ranch, Malheur, Oregon (Lewis 1976)' Ceylon, Saskatchewan, Canada (Holland 1985) Dactylopsylla bhiei psilos { = psila (Thomomys) Mercury, Nye, Nevada ' (Beck and Allred 1965) D. coinis (Thomomys) (Beck , Utah 1955) , D. digitenua (Geomys) Matador, Motley, Texas (Prince and Stark 1951) D. neomexicana (probablv Geomys) (Smit'l983) D. perce mis (Cratogeomys and Thomomys) (Eads and Menzies 1949) , [several], Texas (Eads 1950) , [several], Texas Diamanus viontantis (Spermophihis) (Stark 1970) Echidnophag,a gcdlinacea (Birds, rodents, large insectivores and carnivores) Albuquerque, Bernalillo, New Mexico (Wifliams and Hoff' 1951) Columbus, [Luna], New Mexico (Traub and Hoff' 1951) (Miles etal. 1952) , , Texas Roswell, Chaves, New Mexico (Graves etal. 1974) Epitedia stanfordi (primarily Peromysciis Polacca, Navajo, Arizona (Augustson 1955) (Morlan 1955) , Santa Fe, New Mexico , Utah (Stark 1958) , Dugway Proving Ground, Utah (University of Utah 1969) E. tvenmanni (primarilv Peromyscus ' Brigsdale, Weld, Colorado (CDC 1985)