In Sika Deer (Cervus Nippon) in Texas ROBERT A

161

Most of these have been free of endoparasites, pp. 191-205 in Schmidt and Gilbert, eds., Big as had been observed in other surveys (Table 1), Game of North America. Stackpole Books, Har- and none have harbored A. suum. risburg, Pennsylvania). Thus, the possibility for Feral swine (Sus scrofd), which occur sym- parasite transmission between these two hosts patrically with collared peccaries in south Texas exists. However, the mechanism of geographical and have been reported to be extremely common dilution of ascarid ova acting to maintain low in Zavala County (Anonymous, 1982, Southeast. levels of infection in wild swine populations sug- Coop. Wildl. Dis. Study, 1 p.), are known to gested by Coombs and Springer (1974, loc. cit.) harbor A. suum (Hanson and Karstad, 1959, J. may be operating in collared peccary herds as Wildl. Manage. 23:64-74; Coombs and Springer, well. Because of the ecological and behavioral 1974, J. Wildl. Dis. 10:436-441). Coombs and similarities of these two suiforms, further inves- Springer (1974, loc. cit.) reported burdens rang- tigations into the transmission of A. suum be- ing from one to three adult worms per infected tween these species is warranted. pig from southern Texas. The feeding behavior We would like to thank T. M. Craig for iden- of feral swine overlaps with that of collared pec- tifying the A. suum specimens and reviewing the caries, which, although primarily browsers on manuscript, and K. McBee for reviewing the prickly pear (Opuntia sp.), are known to root for manuscript. Specimens have been deposited in underground plant parts and invertebrates (Eddy, the USNM Helminthological Collection, USDA, 1961, J. Wildl. Manage. 25:248-257; Sowls, 1978, Beltsville, Maryland 20705 (No. 77612).

Proc. Helminthol. Soc. Wash. 51(1), 1984, pp. 161-162 Research Note Trichuris spp. (Nematoda: Trichuridae) in Sika Deer (Cervus nippon) in Texas ROBERT A. KNIGHT' AND DONALD W. TuFF2 1 Animal Parasitology Institute, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Mary- land 20705 2 Department of Biology, Southwest Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas 78666 Trichuris skrjabini was described by Baskakov had grazed pastures with sheep on Real Ranch, from camels in Turkestan, USSR (1924, Trudy Kerr County, Texas were killed by Mr. B. Wiley Gosudarstv. Inst. Eksper. Vet. 2:92-105). Skrja- and examined for parasites. The deer aged 3 mo, bin (1957, Osnovy Nematodologii, Vol. 6, Mos- 6 mo, and 3 yr harbored 55 and 22, 3<5, and 1 cow) reported it also from domestic cattle, sheep, whipworm, respectively. The single worm from and goats, and in feral goral (Nemorrhaedus rad- the 3-yr-old deer consisted of only an anterior deanus), roe deer (Capreolus pygargus), Persian portion, and therefore was unidentifiable to gazelle (Gazella subgutturosd), fallow deer (Cer- species. vus damd), elk (Alces alces), axis deer (Pseudaxis Examination of the worms showed all anterior hortulorum, syn: Cervus nippon1), Asiatic ibex portions missing in part, but the posterior por- (Capra sibirica), and saiga (Saiga tatarica). tions of the worms generally were in good con- Knight redescribed T. skrjabini from Nebraska dition. The worms were cleared in lacto-phenol sheep (1971, J. Parasitol. 57:302-310) and sub- for microscopic study, and selected morpholog- sequently reported it generally throughout the ical characters were measured by ocular microm- U.S. in sheep (1972, Proc. Helminthol. Soc. eter to make identification. Wash. 39:242-244). No reports exist for T. Measurements obtained from seven male skrjabini in other ruminants in North America. specimens are presented in Table 1, and agree In 1981, three sika deer (Cervus nippon) that with those described for T. skrjabini; one male specimen from the 6-mo-old deer was identified as T. ovis (Abildgaard, 1795), which was re- Feldhamer, 1980, Mammalian Species 128:1-7. ported from C. nippon by Skrjabin (idem.). One

Table 1. Average measurements (range) of T. skrjabini found in sika deer (Cervus nippon) in Texas (all measurements in mm).

Character Texas specimens T. skrjabini*

Posterior length 11.1 (7.9-14.0) 11.3 (7.9-14.6) Spicule length 1.01 (0.96-1.12) 1.12 (0.83-1.58) Spicule width 0.012 (0.011-0.013) 0.012 (0.011-0.014) Ejaculatory duct 6.07 (3.27-8.40) 7.90 (4.80-10.92) Vas deferens 3.38 (2.25-4.38) 4.59 (2.10-7.27) Cloaca 1.03 (0.77-1.32) 1.50 (1.0-2.0) Ratio ejaculatory duct/vas deferens 1:1.76 1:1.81

Knight, 1971, J. Parasitol. 57:302-310; 1972, Proc. Helminthol. Soc. Wash. 39:242-244. male appeared to be immature and two females may be predicted. Conversely, whipworms nor- had no eggs present in the uteri. The females were mally associated with and found in deer may be nearly straight, had small vulval spines, and ovary acquired by sheep through such mutual grazing tips as described by Knight for T. skrjabini (1971, of pasture. idem.). The specimens have been deposited in the This represents the first report of T. skrjabini USNM Helminthological Collection, USDA, in a ruminant other than sheep in North Amer- Beltsville, Maryland 20705 (Nos. 66995 and ica, and the first report of this species from Cer- 69492 for T. skrjabini and 66994 for T. ovis). vus nippon in the United States. The finding of Research supported in part by a grant through T. skrjabini and T. ovis in other deer sharing the Texas Department of Wildlife (Contract No. pastures grazed by sheep in the United States 0557), Pittman-Robertson Federal Aid Program.

Proc. Helminthol. Soc. Wash. 51(1), 1984, pp. 162-163

Research Note

The Occurrence of Pterygodermatites nycticebi (Nematoda: Rictulariidae) in a Captive Slow Loris, Nycticebus coucang

BENJAMIN N. TuGGLE1 AND BRUCE A. BEEHLER2 1 National Wildlife Health Laboratory, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, Wisconsin 53711 2 Milwaukee County Zoo, 10001 W. Blue Mound Road, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226

Adult and immature rictulariid nematodes malin or AFA and cleared in glycerine alcohol. were recovered at necropsy from the small in- Intestinal tissue was fixed in 10% formah'n sec- testine of an adult slow loris, Nycticebus coucang, tioned using standard histological procedures at from the Milwaukee County Zoo in Wisconsin. S/Lim and stained with H&E. The lumen of the entire small intestine was packed The nematodes were later identified as Pter- with more than 100 nematodes, the intestinal ygodermatites (Mesopectines) nycticebi (Monnig, wall appeared thickened and the mucosal surface 1920). A brief description of eight males and contained numerous petechial hemorrhagic foci. eight females is as follows: The cause of death was diagnosed as a septicemia Buccal capsule opening dorsally with a single and possible lupus erythematosis. row of perioral denticles present in the upper rim Nematodes collected were fixed in 10% for- of the capsule and three large teeth in the bottom.