CAN. J . ZOOL. VOL. 57, 1979

Siphonaptera from mammals in Alaska. Supplement I

GLENN E. HAAS A N D TIM RUMFELT Sttitc of AInskn Deprirtmetii of Henlth crnd Socicil Scrcic*es. Enciron~nrntol Health Section, Room 222, Mac,Ktiy Building,

338 Dennli Str.c,ct, A~i(.horuge, A K , U.S.A. 99501

LOYAL JOHNSON S t ~ t e (?fAlrr.sktr Drpurt~nent ofFish rind Gri~ne, P.O. Box 499, Sitkti, A K , U.S .A. 99835

A N D

NIXON WILSON Dc,ptirttnont ctfBiology, Unirer~ity ofNorthern l o ~ ~ i , Codtir Frills. I A , U.S.A. 50613

Received March 19. 1979

HAAS. G. E.. T. RUMFELT, L. JOHNSON. and N. WILSON. 1979. Siphonaptera from mammals in Alaska. Supplement I. Can. J. Zool. 57: 1822-1825.

This is the first supplement to Haas cr ti/. Can. J . Zool. 56: 333-338, 1978. Nineteen species of fleas were collected from 10 species of wild mammals and man. Delotr,lis holl~ridi Smit and Cerurophyllus niger C. Fox. first collected in 1950 and 1937, respectively, were rediscovered. The ranges of four species were extended 500-975 km.

HAAS. G. E.. T. RUMFELT, L. JOHNSON et N. WILSON. 1979. Siphonaptera from mammals in Alaska. Supplement I. Can. J . Zool. 57: 1822- 1825.

C'est le premier supplement de Haas ercil. Can. J . Zool. 56: 333-338, 1978. Dix-neuf especesde puces ont ete recueillies chez 10 especes de mammiferes sauvages et chez I'homme. Delorrlis hollcindi Smit et Cerrrtophyllus niger C. Fox. d'abord recueillies en 1950 et 1937, respectivement, ont ete redecouvertes. Les repartitions geographiques etendues de quatre especes ont ete etendues de elargies 500-975 km.

Our initial survey of fleas on mammals in Alaska 2. Hystrichopsylla dippieispinc~ta Holkrnd (Haas et al. 1978) mostly covered localities served This is a new host record. True hosts are proba- by roads and highways. Results in this supplement bly mice, voles, and shrews. mainly concern areas to the west and south that are Rcc,ord-Baranof Island, Sitka, 12.8 km N (Kat- accessible only by air or water. Many bush lian Bay): one female, Mustela Eison, 20.1.1979, L. localities were s a m ~ l e d for fleas for the first time. Johnson. Ranges of four specjes were extended 500-975 km, and two new host records were obtained.

New data are presented on three species that were not treated in our first report, namely: Hys- trichopsyllu occidentulis Holland, Delotelis hol- landi Smit, and Ceratophyllus niger C. Fox. Hol- land (1957) recorded the first from seven localities in southcentral and southeastern Alaska, Smit (1953) reported rhe second from a locality near Juneau in 1950, and Philip (1938) collected the third from a locality on the Kenai Peninsula in 1937.

3. Hystrichopsvlla occidentulis Holland A common microtine flea of the Kenai Peninsula.

Holland (1957) noted that H . occidentalis and H . dippiei spincrta are sy mpatric in Vancouver, British Columbia. Both taxa occur in southeastern Alaska, but they have not been reported from the same localities. Holland listed the first species from Juneau (mainland) and Prince of Wales Island, and the second species from Ketchikan (Revillagigedo Island). Our records of H. d. spinata are from Baranof Island and Manoun Island.

I . Ctenocephalides Jtlis ftlis (BouchP) Records-Kenai peninsula, Anchor Point: two This is the first record for Juneau, second for males, one female, Clethrionomys rutilus,

southeastern Alaska, and another example of a per- 21 .X. 1978; one male, Sorex obscurus, 21 .X . 1978; son being attacked on the legs when entering a Homer: one female, C . rutilus, 20.X. 1978; Seward, vacant residence. The previous apartment tenant I3 kmNW (mile 7.5 Resurrection Road): one kept a house cat that had never been outside of the male, Microtus oeconomus, 4.IX. 1978. Portage, city. Data on earlier occupants could not be ob- 3 km SE: one female, M. oeconomus, 3.1X.1978. tained.

Record-Juneau: one male, three females, 4. Epitedia wenmunni wenmanni(Rothschild) Homo supiens in apartment, 25.X. 1978, D. Bruce. New records show this flea is truly transconti-

0008-430 1/79/09 1822-04$0 1 .OO/O @ 1979 National Research Council of Canada/Conseil national de recherches du Canada

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NOTES 1823

Host-flea list

Sorex obscurus Merriam (dusky shrew): 3 * Sorex sp. (shrew): 7 Myotis l~cifugus (LeConte) (little brown myotis): 10 Spern~ophilus porryii (Richardson) (Arctic ground squirrel) : 17 Tan~iasciurus hudsonicus (Erxleben) (red squirrel): 15, 16 Clethrionomys rutilus Pallas (northern red-backed vole): 3, 4,

5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14 Microtus oeconomus (Pallas) (tundra vole): 3, 4, 8, 12, 13, 14 Microrus sp. (vole): 8, 9, 12, 13 Ursus orctos L. (brown-grizzly bear): 18 Martes americana (Turton) (marten) : 19 Mustela vison Schreber (mink): 2, 19 Homo sapiens L. (man): 1 , 1 1

*Flea species as numbered in text.

nental. It ranges to the southwest coast of Alaska including tundra west of the Ahklun Mountains. Platinum is about 745 km from Palmer, our previ- ous southwesternmost locality.

Records-Alaska Peninsula, King Salmon: one male, C. rutilus, 27.11.1979. Anchorage: one male, M. oeconomus, 27.XI.1978. Dillingham: one female, C. rutilus, 26.X.1978. Platinum: one female, M. oeconomus, 14.XI. 1978.

5. Catrrllagiu charlottensis (Baker) Once again we found this vole nest flea on a C.

ruti1u.s trapped near Cook Inlet. Record-Kenai Peninsula, Homer: one female,

C. rutilus, 20.X. 1978.

6. Delotelis holl~rndi Smit Smit (1952) studied a long series of specimens of

this rare microtine nest flea from Alaska, Califor- nia, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia but excluded those from Alaska from the type series. A male from Microtus sp., 30.IV. 1950, near Juneau (Salmon Creek) doubtless was rejected because it was partially castrated (Smit 1953). Smit's (1952) data revealed a lack of collections in May, June, and July, suggesting that D. hollandi may be a winter flea. The occurrence of this species with H. oc~cidentalis and C. charlottensis on the same vole at Homer supports statements that these three fleas have very similar distributions in Alaska (Hopla 1965), although D. hollandi may be confined to the coastal spruce-hemlock forests, whereas the other two species are not.

Record-Kenai Peninsula, Homer: 3 males, C. rutilus. 20.X. 1978.

7. Corrodopsylla curvuta curvata (Rothschild) Although we examined many shrews south of the

Yukon River, only one was infested by C. c. cur- outa, and it was obtained near Fairbanks, one of Hopla's (1965) localities.

Rec.ord-Fairbanks, 108 km NE (Cripple Creek, mile 60 Steese Highway): one female, Sorrx sp., 28. VIII. 1978, T. Rumfelt.

8. Peromyscopsylla ostsibirica (Sccrlon) One of the widest ranging species in Alaska with

higher infestations of M. oeconomus than of C . rwtilus. Our records extend the known range south onto the Kenai Peninsula, west into the upper Kus- kokwim Valley, and southwest to the tundra of Nelson Island. Hopla (1965) reported an average of 2.9 P. ostsibirica on infested M. oeconomus but only 1.7 on C. rutilus. Our small sample from Stony River gave similar data, i.e., five Microtus sp., (probably occonomus) had an average of 2.4 fleas; four (of eight) C. rutilus had an average of 1.25 fleas.

Rccords-Kenai Peninsula, Homer: one female, C. rutilus, 20.X. 1978. Lime Village: one female, C. rutilus, 30.VIII. 1978; one male, Microtus sp., 30.VIII. 1978. Livengood, 16 km S E (Tolovana River, mile 57 Elliott Highway): one female, Mic*rotus sp., 31.VIII.1978, T . Rumfelt. McGrath: two males, three females, C. rutilus, 17.X. 1977. Nelson Island, Toksook Bay: two males, M. oeconomus, 25.1X.1978. Stony River: two males, three females, C. rutilus, 4.X. 1978; four males. eight females, Microtus sp., 4.X. 1978.

9. Amphipsyllcr marikovskii elvingi I. Fox Our records extend the known range of this mi-

crotine nest flea as far south in the Kuskokwim Valley as the Stony River (Holitna) Lowland. Hol- land (1963) classified this taxon as a M. oeconomus flea. Hopla (1965) recorded seven specimens from six M, orc.onomus and three from three C. rutilus. Clethrionomys rutilus possibly also serves as a true host as our Stony River sample had three of eight C. rutilus infested with six fleas compared with two of five Mic,rotus sp. (probably orc~onomus) with three fleas.

Rec.ords-McGrath: two females, C. rutilus, 17.X. 1977. Sleetmute: one female, C. rutilus, 5.X. 1978. Stony River: three males, three females, C. rutilus, 4.X. 1978; two males, one female, Microtus sp., 4.X. 1978.

10. Myodopsylla gentilis Jordan & Rothschild These are the first records of the bat flea and bat

from the Kuskokwim Valley (see Manville and Young 1965). The bat, captured in a school building with no evidence of a colony, probably was a mi- grant. Sleetmute is farther north than Palmer, our previous northernmost record. The date of our re- cord from Long Island, Big Lake (Haas et al. 1978, p. 335) should read IO.VII.1977, not 1O.VIII. 1977.

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1824 CAN. J . ZOOL. VOL. 57. 1979

Record-Sleetmute: one male, Myotis lucifugus, 5.X. 1978, A. Andreanoff.

I I . Ceratophyllus niger C. Fox A common bird flea of western North America

(Holland 1949; Hubbard 1947). It parasitizes a wide variety of wild birds and domestic fowl and is known as the western chicken or hen flea. It also readily attacks humans. The first specimens from Alaska were collected by Philip (1938) when he visited a small island rookery in Skilak Lake, Kenai Peninsula, 25.VI. 1937. He sent infested nests ofthe herring gull (Larus argentatus) and double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) to the Rocky Mountain Laboratory for further studies (Jellison and Kohls 1939; Jellison and Senger 1976). In July 1978 C. niger was rediscovered in Alaska by Jones and Petersen on Chisik Island, Cook Inlet, when they were attacked by specimens that came from nests of the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridac- tylu). This is a new nest record for C. niger. Nearby nests of glaucous-winged gulls (L. glaucescens) were not infested.

Record--Chisik Island : four males, seven females, H. sapiens, 25.VII. 1978, R. D. Jones, Jr., and M. R. Petersen.

12. Amalaraeus penicilliger dissimilis (Jordan) This common flea occurs throughout most of

Alaska. There are no records from coastal spruce-hemlock forests east of the Kenai Penin- sula. Amalaraeus p . dissimilis was the only vole flea we could find on Saint Lawrence Island, al- though at least five other species occur on the west- ern coast of Alaska, and four of them also occur in Siberia (Amphiberingian Subarctic Groups A and B of Holland (1963)).

Records-Alaska Peninsula, King Salmon: one female, C. rutilus, 27.11.1979. Lime Village: three males, two females, C. rutilus, 30.VIII. 1978; one male, Microtus sp., 30.VIII.1978. McGrath: two males, three females, C. rutilus, 17.X. 1977. Nelson Island, Toksook Bay: one male, M. oeconomus, 26.IX. 1978. Platinum: seven males, four females, M. oeconomus, 14.XI. 1978. Saint Lawrence Is- land, Gambell: one male, M. oeconomus, 26. VII.1978; Savoonga, 4kmSW: one male, one female, M. oeconomus, 27.VII.1978. Sleetmute:

absence of M. c. gregsoni from islands in the Ber- ing Sea and its presence along the gulf coast east of Cordova.

Records--Cordova, 27.8 km SE (Alaganik Slough): one female, M. oeconomus, 15.UI. 1978. Lime Village: two females, C. rutilus, 20. VIII. 1978. Livengood, 16 km SE (Tolovana River, mile 57 Elliott Highway): one female, Microtus sp., 31.VIII.1978, T. Rumfelt. McGrath: one male, C. rutilus, 17.X. 1977. Portage, 3 km SE: one female, M. oeconomus, 3.IX. 1978.

14. Megabothris abantis (Rothschild) All new records of this vole flea are from coastal

regions of southcentral and-southwestern Alaska. Records--Cordova, 15.2 km E: one male, two

females, C. rutilus, 13.V1.1978. Dillingham: one male, C. rutilus, 26.X. 1978. Kenai Peninsula, Homer: one female, C. rutilus, 20.X.1978; Kenai and Killey rivers: two females, C. rutilus, 29. VII. 1978, T. Rumfelt; one female, C. rutilus, 11. VIII.1978, T. Rumfelt; Seward: one male, C. rutilus, 4.1X.1978; 13 km NW (mile 7.5 Resurrec- tion Road): one female, M. oeconomus, 4.IX. 1978. Whittier: one female, C. rutilus, 16.VI. 1978.

15. Monopsyllus tlison (Baker) This flea probably infests red squirrels through-

out Alaska except in coastal spruce-hemlock forests southeast of Prince William Sound.

Records-All from Tamiasciurus hudsonicus. Kenai Peninsula, Tern Lake, 2.2 km E (mile 35.5 Seward Highway): two males, two females, 3.IX. 1978. Nelchina River, 8.8 km W (mile 132 Glenn Highway): one female, 19.VII.1978, T. Rumfelt.

16. Orchopeus caedens durus (Jordan) This common red squirrel flea appears to have

the same range in Alaska as M. tlison. Records-All from T. hudsonicus. Chickaloon,

5 km E (mile 81 Glenn Highway): two females, 27.IX. 1978, T. Rumfelt. Kenai Peninsula, Tern Lake, 2.2 km E (mile 35.5 Seward Highway): two males, nine females (gravid), 3.IX. 1978. Nelchina River, 8.8 km W (mile 132 Glenn Highway): one female, 19.VII.1978, T. Rumfelt. Talkeetna: two females, I1 .IX. 1978, T. Rumfelt.

two females, C. rutilus, 5.X. 1978. Stony River: 17. Oropsylla idahoensis (Baker) seven females, C. rutilus, 4.X. 1978; three males, The only ground squirrel flea south of the Alaska Microtus sp., 4.X. 1978. Range. A male specimen was collected at Wor-

thington Glacier in 195 1 (Jellison and Senger 1976). 13. Megabothris calcarifer gregsoni Holland Record-Worthington Glacier (Richardson

Distribution and abundance of this vole flea and Highway): three males, five females (gravid), of A. p. dissimilis are comparable except for the Spermophilusparryii, 10.VII.1978, T. Rumfelt.

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18. Chcretopsylla tuberculaticeps (Bezzi) tain fleas and mammals, respectively; and M. K. The first records of this bear flea from southeast- Gorham for typing the manuscript.

ern Alaska confirm that it thrives in the climatic extremes of the southeast coast and interior. HAAS. G. E., R. E. BARR~.T.T, and N. WILSON. 1978. Siphonap-

tera from mammals in Alaska. Can. J. Zool. 56: 333-338. Records-A11 from Is- HOLLAND. G P. 1949. The Siphonaptera of Canada. Can. Dep. land, South Arm Hood Bay: one male, five females Agric, ~ ~ ~ h , ~ ~ 1 1 , 70, (four gravid; maximum length, 5.1 mm, in alcohol), - 1957. Notes on the nenus Hvstricho~svfla Rothschild in 18.V. 1978, L. Johnson. chichagof Island, False the New World, with descriptions of one new species and two

Island ~~~~i~~ camp: two females (gravid; maxi- new subspecies (Siphonaptera: Hystrichopsyllidae). Can. Entomol. 89: 309-324. mum length, 4.3 mm, in alcohol), 1974, L. Johnson. 1963. Faunal affinities of the fleas (Siphonaptera) of

19. Chuetopsyllu floridensis (I. Fox) The new records not only extend the known

range of this mustelid flea 500 km westward beyond the Alaska Range into the Kuskokwim Valley, but add another large island in the Alexander Ar- chipelago.

Rrcovds-Admiralty Island, Seymour Canal: two females (one gravid), M. uison, 15.11.1979, L. Johnson. McGrath, 24 km E: one male, Murtes urnericuna, 12.111.1978, E. Onstott. Telida: three males, two females (gravid), M. ~ r n ~ r i c a n a , I .XI. 1978, G. E. Castanza.

Acknowledgements We thank A. Andreanoff, D. Bruce, G. E. Cas-

tanza, R. D. Jones, Jr.. E. Onstott, and Margaret R. Petersen for the contribution of specimens; Dr. G. P. Holland, Biosystematics Research Institute, Ag- riculture Canada, Ottawa, and Dr. H. H. Geno- ways, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA, for taxonomic assistance with cer-

Alaska: with an annotated list of species. I; Pacific basin biogeography. Edited by J. L. Gressitt. 10th Pacific Science Congress, Bishop Museum, Honolulu. pp. 45-63.

HOPLA, C. E. 1965. Alaskan hematophagous insects, their feeding habits and potential as vectors of pathogenic or- ganisms. I. The Siphonaptera of Alaska. Arct. Aeromed. Lab., Fort Wainwright, Alaska, Proj. No. 8241, AAL-TR- 64-12. Vol. I .

HUBBARD. C. A. 1947. Fleas of western North America. Iowa State College Press, Ames.

JELLISON, W. L.. and G. M. KOHLS. 1939. Siphonaptera: a list of Alaskan fleas. Public Health Rep. 54: 2020-2023.

JELLISON, W. L., and C. M. S E N G ~ R . 1976. Fleas of western North America except Montana in the Rocky Mountain Labo- ratory Collection. In Papers in honor of Jerry Flora. Edited by H. C. Taylor, Jr., and J. Clark. Western Washington State College. Bellingham. pp. 55-136.

MANVILLE, R. H., and S. P. YOUNG. 1965. Distribution of Alaskan mammals. U.S. Dep. Inter. Bur. Sport Fish. Wildl. Circ. 211.

PHILIP. C. B. 1938. A parasitological reconnaissance in Alaska with particular reference to varying hares. 11. Parasitological data. J. Parasitol. 24: 483-488.

SMIT, F. G. A. M. 1952. A new flea from western North America. Proc. Entomol. Soc. Wash. 54: 269-273.

1953. Monstrosities in Siphonaptera. IV. Entomol. Ber. (Amsterdam). 14: 393-400.

Three species of Digenea from the Atlantic leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)

WILLIAM THRELFALL Department of Biology, Memorial Unirvrsity, St. John's, Nfld., Canada A I B 3 X 9

Received July 28, 1978

THRELFALL, W. 1979. Three species of Digenea from the Atlantic leatherback turtle (Der- moc,helys coriacea). Can. J. Zool. 57: 1825- 1829.

Three species of digenetic trematodes (Pyc~losomum renicapite, Calycodes anthos, Cymatocarpus sp. (?)), are reported from two Atlantic leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) taken off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, in 1973. The status of the genera Pyelosomum Looss, 1899 and Astrorchis Poche. 1925 is discussed.

THRELFALL, W. 1979. Three species of Digenea from the Atlantic leatherback turtle (Der- mochelys coriacea). Can. J. Zool. 57: 1825-1829.

Trois esptces de trematodes digenes (Pyelosomum renicapite, Cal.vcodes anthos, Cymatocar- pus sp. (?)), ont ete trouvees chez deux tortues-luths (Dermochelys coriacea) capturees pres des c8tes de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador en 1973. Le statut des genres Pyelosomum Looss, 1899 et Astrorchis Poche, 1925 est examine.

[Traduit par le journal]

0008-4301 /79/091825-05$01 .W/O @ 1979 National Research Council of CanadalConseil national de recherches du Canada

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