Abstract
The stomachs of 162 (89%) of 183 striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) collected in the area of Guelph, Ontario, between September 1973 and August 1974 were infected with Physaloptera maxillaris. Adult worms were most abundant in midsummer (June–July) and rare in winter (December–March). Third-stage larvae were most abundant in late fall and midwinter (October–January) and least abundant in midsummer (June–July). Fourth-stage larvae were most abundant in spring (April–May) and least abundant in early fall (August–September). It is suggested that adults appear mainly when skunk are feeding regularly in spring and midsummer. Third-stage larvae acquired in late summer and fall fail to develop (probably because of inadequate food consumption by skunk) and persist over the winter. In spring when skunk start to feed again, overwintering larvae grow into adults and initiate the annual cycle in skunk and intermediate hosts.
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