Jm. Kinsella, COMPARISON OF HELMINTHS OF 3 SPECIES OF MICE, PODOMYS-FLORIDANUS, PEROMYSCUS-GOSSYPINUS, AND PEROMYSCUS-POLIONOTUS, FROM SOUTHERN FLORIDA, Canadian journal of zoology, 69(12), 1991, pp. 3078-3083
The helminths of 102 Florida mice, Podomys floridanus, 86 cotton mice,
Peromyscus gossypinus, and 41 old-field mice, Peromyscus polionotus,
from the Lake Wales ridge of southern Florida were studied. Nineteen s
pecies of helminths were found, and high indexes of similarity were fo
und among the three host species. A trichostrongylid nematode, Carolin
ensis peromysci, and a pinworm, Syphacia peromysci, were common to all
three hosts and accounted for 80% of all helminths collected. A liver
fluke, Zonorchis komareki, and Carolinensis peromysci were more preva
lent in mice from bayhead habitats, and two spirurid nematodes, Pteryg
odermatites peromysci and Gongylonema sp., were more prevalent in mice
from flatwoods habitats. Other helminth species included four apparen
tly derived from the cotton rat, Sigmodon hispidus, two from the easte
rn cottontail, Sylvilagus floridanus, and two from the raccoon, Procyo
n lotor. The helminth fauna of these three mice, which live in relativ
ely xeric habitats, was dominated by nematodes.