Internal Parasites of the Red Fox in Iowa

Abstract

There is a tendency to consider wild animals as dangerous reservoirs of parasites that affect man and domestic animals, but often with little or no real basis. This sometimes makes the proper utilization of wildlife difficult. Wildlife managers, therefore, find it advantageous to possess knowledgeof such parasites. This paper presents the results of a survey of the internal parasites of the northern plains red fox (Vulpes regalis) in Iowa. There is little literature dealing specifically with parasites of wild foxes. The best single source of information is the key-catalogue of Stiles and Baker (1935) which reports the following internal, parasites in V. fulva of eastern North America: Alaria arisaemoides, Cryptocotyle lingua, Opisthorchis conjunctus,Parametorchis intermedius,Pseudamphistomum conus, Ancylostomidae, Capillaria plica, Eucoleus aerophilus, Toxascaris limbata, Toxocara canis, T. cati, T. marginata, Trichuris vulpis, Uncinaria polaris, and U. stenocephala. In a more popular paper, Riley and Christenson (1931) mention the follow-