Ectoparasites of vertebrates cohabiting black-tailed prairie dog towns in eastern New Mexico.

Abstract

Desert cottontails (Sylvilagus audubonii (Baird)), burrowing owls (Athene cuniculania (Mobina)), and thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Spermophilus tnidecemlineatus (Mitchell)) are normal inhabitants of abandoned and active black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus (Ord)) burrows (Tyler and Buscher, 1975, Proc. Okla. Acad. Sci. 55: 166-168). This paper provides information on prevalence and intensity of ectoparasites from vertebrates, other than prairie dogs, which occupy active prairie dog towns in eastern New Mexico. In addition, parasite overlap, where it may exist with the blacktailed prairie dog (Pfaffenberger et ab., 1984, Proc. Hebminthol. Soc. Wash. 51: In press), is also discussed. Prairie dog town P was located 11.3 km NE of Portales on the Eastern New Mexico University Natural History Preserve. Its phenotype is that of a short grass prairie dominated by blue grama (Bouteloua gnacilis (Humboldt, Bonpband and Kunth)), side-oats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula (Michaux)), purple three-awn (Anistida punpurea Nuttall), and sand dropseed (Sporobolus cry ptandnus (Torrey)) with sand sage (Artemisia filifolia Torrey) as the dominant shrub. Town C, a cow pasture, was dominated by grasses (blue grama and side-oats grama) and honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa Torrey), while town D, a barren cabiche flat, supported a short, sparse stand of belvedere (Kochia scopania (L.)). Towns C