Ecology and Helminths of the Osage Wood Rat, Neotoma floridana osagensis, Including the Description of Longistriata neotoma n. sp. (Trichostrongylidae)

Abstract

The Osago wood rat, Neotoma floridana osagensis, was described as a subspecies by Blair in 1939, and since that time nothing has been published on either its ecology or parasites. Blair (1939a) used the common name Osage wood rat for the animal in his original description, but, in his later paper on the mammnals of Oklahoma (1939b) he referred to it as the eastern wood rat. It is the opinLion of the writer that the original common name should be used, not only for its priority, but also Lecause of the quite desirable similarity of the common and subspecific names. Up to this date the literature on the Osage wood rat consists merely of the original description arid a few distributional records. Studies of the literature on closely related species afforded some understanding of the habits, activities and parasites of wood rats in general, which was used as a basis for comparison with the Osage wood rat. Wood rats, commonly referred to as pack rats, trade rats, and occasionally as bush rats, are confined to the North American Continent and have been known for 200 years. They were first reported by Peter KaIm in 1749, who cited Johln Bartram of Philadelphia as authoritv for the statement that he saw a large number 3f rats living among the rocks and cliffs in the Blue Mountains of Pennsylvania. He further stated that these rats came out onlv at night and weere extremely vociferous. Ord (1818) sent a short description and a figure of a wood rat taken from eastern Florida to the Philomatique Society of Paris. The description and figure were given under the scientific name of Mus f1oridanus. De Blainville, who prepared the account for publication, questioned the generic name Mus. Meanwhile, in 1825, Say and Ord kad discovcred the peculiar dental characteristics of the species and published a diagnosis of a new genus Neotoma with Mus floridanus as the type. Merriam published two papers, one (1894a) on the revision of the genus Neotoma and tne other (1849b) on the dia'ynosis of the subfimity Neotornoinae with a synopsis of thle known species in th-c genus Neotomna. Goldman (1910) did the last extenisiv,e work on this group. He revised the genus, gave its geographical distribution, prepared keys for determining species, and submitted photographs of skulls to illustrate stuuctures useful in identification.