NEW HOST RECORD FOR ORCHOPEAS-LEUCOPUS FROM THE EASTERN PIPISTREL, PIPISTRELLUS-SUBFLAVUS

Orchopeas leucopus is a common flea, primarily associated with various Peromyscus spp. in eastern North America (Benton, 1980; Holland, 1985 ). It is frequently encountered throughout the year (e.g. Benton and A ltmann, 1964; Jackson and DeFoliart, 1976) and has been collected from a large number of hosts, many of which are undoubtedly accidental: Di delphis, Sorex, Blarina, Glaucomys, Spermophilus, Tamias, Tamiasciurus , Sciurus, Sigmodon, Ondatra, Dipodomys, Perognathus, Neotoma, Onychom ys, Reithrodontomys, Microtus, Clethrionomys, Synaptomys, Napaeozapus, Mus, Erethizon, and various carnivores (Morlan, 1955; Benton, 1980; H addow et al., 1983; Holland, 1985). There is even a record of O. leuco pus from the Saw-Whet Owl, Aegiolus acadicus (Holland, 1985). On June 15, 1989, while collecting bats from Brown's Cave, 2.2 mi. SW Evans, D ouglas County, Missouri, a male O. leucopus was found on the back of a n adult female Pipistrellus subflavus (RMP 2546). This record is the f irst from P. subflavus, or any Chiroptera, for that matter. It was alm ost certainly an accidental association, where a suitable host probabl y nested nearby, though no evidence of other small mammals were observ ed in the cave. The specimen of P. subflavus is deposited in the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection (TCWC). The specimen of O. leucopus i s deposited in the J. B. Wallis Museum of Entomology, Department of En tomology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.