Lice (Phthiraptera: Trichodectidae), fleas (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae, Ceratophyllidae) and ticks (Ixodida: Ixodidae) infesting American badger, Taxidea taxus (Mammalia: Mustelidae), in Manitoba, Canada

One juvenile and nine adult American badgers, Taxidea taxus (Schreber), from Manitoba were examined for ectoparasites by whole body washing or visual inspection. Five of seven adults washed from the Shoal Lake area were infested with one species of chewing louse,
Neotrichodectes interruptofasciatus (Kellogg and Ferris) (mean intensity – 539); females were significantly more abundant than males. The ratio of nymphs to females was 2.5. The washed juvenile badger was infested with 6384 specimens of N. interruptofasciatus, but males (n=286) and females (n=287) were almost equal in number, and the ratio of nymphs to females was 20.3. Adult badgers were infested with five species of fleas: Pulex irritans Linnaeus, Oropsylla rupestris (Jordan), O. bruneri (Baker), O. tuberculata (Baker), and O. arctomys (Baker). All seven adult badgers from the Shoal Lake area were infested with adult American dog ticks, Dermacentor variabilis (Say). Mean intensity was 63.4, with a total of 258 males and 186 females.

Front cover of the proceedings with the Female chewing louse (Neotrichodectes interruptofasciatus) from an American badger [Photo
credit: Terry Galloway & Jillian Detwiler] is also attached. See file 95534 front_cover.pdf