Survey of Endoparasites in California Valley Quail of the Palouse Area

Abstract

California valley quail, Lophortyx californica vallicola (L.), were collected from localized areas of several counties in the Palouse area including Garfield, Whitman, Asotin, Adams, and Columbia, for the purpose of studying their endoparasites. As a means of correlation valley quail from Okanogan county in North Central Washington and mountain quail from the Palouse area were also examined. The author expresses appreciation to Dr. C. W. McNeil for advice, to Dr. E. E. Wehr for identifying the cestodes, and to the state game biologists and the many sportsmen of the Palouse area for their aid in collecting quail. The climatic and topographic conditions of the five Palouse counties mentioned above are very similar, especially in the localized areas from which quail were collected. The majority of the infected specimens were collected from the Pomeroy area of Garfield county. There are large asparagus fields in this area which are allowed to go to seed in the fall, and these fields make an ideal cover for the quail in the late summer and fall months as they are very dense and offer protection as well as the necessary moisture and food. It is possible that this additional moisture may play a significant role in the incidence of parasitism. In the summer the draws and side canyons of these steep Palouse valleys become very hot and dry, the springs dry up and the brush dies. This climate is far from conducive to successful completion of trematode and nematode life cycles. It is difficult to suggest what forces limit protozoan infections in these valleys. Relatively few specimens were examined for blood protozoa since, in most cases, only the internal organs were received. Therefore, it is possible that infections occur in the valley quail of these regions. For purposes of correlating data, mountain quail, Oreortyx picta (L.), were collected and examined from the same areas wherever possible (Table 1). Also, as a means of correlation, valley quail from Okanogan county were examined. These quail were road-killed specimens and had been dead some time before freezing. Twenty such birds were examined for intestinal parasites and were found negative; however, this result is not entirely conclusive since these birds were not in good enough condition for critical examination. No attempt was made to correlate the ectoparasites to the endoparasites, as the majority of specimens received consisted only of internal organs.