Arthropod Parasites of the Collared Peccary, Tayassu tajacu (Artiodactyla: Tayassuidae), from New Mexico

Abstract

Collared peccaries, Tayassu tajacu, collected in Hidalgo County, New Mexico, in 1964 and 1973 were found to be irregular hosts the sucking louse, Pecaroecus javalii Babcock and Ewing (Haematopinidae), the spinose ear tick, Otobius megnini (Dug'es) (Argasidae), and a psoroptid ear mite, heretofore unrecorded from North America, thought to be Trouessalges pecari da Fonseca (Psoroptidae). Also collected were the winter tick, Dermacentor albipictus (Packard) (Ixodidae), from a peccary, and 0. megnini from a bobcat skin, Lynx rufus (Felidae). A summary previously unpublished tick (Ixodoidea) collections from the peccary, deposited at the Rocky Mountain Laboratory, Hamilton, Montana, is included. Babcock and Ewing (1938) described a new genus and species sucking louse, Pecaroecus javalii Babcock and Ewing (Haematopinidae), from a collared peccary, Tayassu tajacu (as Pecari angulatus), collected about 12 miles west Juno, Val Verdi County, Texas, on 29 January 1932. They also mentioned that mites of a species Sarcoptidae were found within many the attached empty egg shells this new louse, but that no mites were found on the skin the host. Menzies et al. (1951) reported the same giant sucking louse (as P. javalli [sic]) from peccaries (as Tayassu angulatum) west the Pecos River, in Terrell County, Texas; Eads (1951) published a note on the occurrence P. javalli [sic] on one 20 peccaries, examined over a 5-year period, which had been shot in Aransas, Kleberg, Nueces, Terrell, and Uvalde counties, Texas, and reported the presence the peccary flea, Pulex porcinus Jordan and Rothschild, on all them. He also reported finding the ixodid ticks, Amblyomma americanum (L.), A. cajennense (F.), A. maculatum Koch, Dermacentor variabilis (Say), and Ixodes scapularis Say, but did not identify which ticks came from which counties. Neal (1959) reported external parasites from 85 peccaries in Arizona, as follows: Pecaroecus javellii [sic] on 7; the human flea, Pulex irritans L., and the tropical hen flea, Echidnophaga gallinacea (Westwood) on 3; Ornithodoros turicata (Dug'es) (Argasidae) on 1; and Dermacentor albipictus (Pack.) on 1. Rapp and Jones (1962) recorded Percaroecus [sic] javalii from the same species tayassuid Received for publication 28 January 1975. (as Pecarii tojacu [sic] sonoriensis) from Pima County, Arizona. McDaniel et al. (1966) recorded collections the giant sucking louse from the type locality, and Samson and Donaldson (1968) recovered 3 and 13 lice (P. javalii) from around the eyes 2 30 peccaries (as Tayassu tajacu sonoriensis) in southwestern New Mexico. Cooley (1938) republished the record for Dermacentor halli McIntosh, 1932 (Ixodidae) from peccaries in southern Texas. Samuel and Low (1970) collected giant sucking lice from the peccary (as Dicotyles tajacu angulatus) from locations in Crockett and Brewster counties in western Texas and the ixodid ticks, Amblyomma cajennense, A. inornatum Banks, Dermacentor variabilis, and Haemaphysalis-leporis palustris (Packard), from the same host species from locations in Kleberg and San Patricio counties in southern Texas. They also recorded the peccary flea, Pulex porcinus, from all four locations. Previously unpublished records Ixodoidea, now residing in the collection the Rocky Mountain Laboratory, from peccaries, have been made available to me (Table I). These include 1 female Ornithodoros turicata from Pima County, Arizona; 4 collections Amblyomma cajennense from Live Oak, Willacy, and Kenedy counties, Texas; 1 collection A. imitator Kohls from somewhere in Mexico; 1 collection Boophilus annulatus (Say) from the King Ranch in Texas; 1 collection Dermacentor halli from somewhere in Mexico and 1 from the King Ranch; and 3 collections D. variabilis from Willacy and Dimmit counties, Texas (Fig. 1).