FLEAS AND LICE PARASITIZING MAMMALS IN MISSOURI

Three species of chewing lice, 11 species of sucking lice; and 28 spec ies of fleas are recorded from mammals in Missouri. Of these, seven sp ecies of sucking lice (Hoplopleuraacanthopus, Hoplopleura hesperomydis , Hoplopleura sciuricola, Neohaematopinus sciuri, Neohaematopinus sciu rinus, Neohaematopinus sciuropteri, and Solenopotes ferrisi) and one s pecies of flea (Doratopsylla blarinae) represent new state records. Fr om 1993 to 1995, 773 individual mammals were examined for ectoparasite s in southeastern Missouri. One species of chewing louse, 6 species of sucking lice, and 11 species of fleas were recovered from 18 of the 2 1 mammal species examined. Ctenophthalmus pseudagyrtes was recovered f rom more mammal species (6) than any other flea species; and the white -footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus, was parasitized by more flea speci es (5) than other hosts examined. Except for H. sciuricola, which was recovered from two congeneric species of tree squirrels, each species of louse was confined to a separate host species.