Ectoparasites of the striped skunk, Mephitis mephitis, in Connecticut, U.S.A.

Seven species of ectoparasite were collected from 32 striped skunks, Mephitis mephitis, in south-central Connecticut, U.S.A., from July through September 2001. The most frequently collected ectoparasite was the chewing louse Neotrichodectes mephitidis, which was the only host-specific ectoparasite collected. Immature stages (larvae and nymphs) of 2 species of ticks, Ixodes cookei and the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, also were commonly collected. The remaining 4 species of ectoparasite consisted of 2 species of flea, Oropsylla arctomys and the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis, and a macronyssid mite, Ornithonyssus wernecki, that normally parasitizes the Virginia opossum. Overall, the ectoparasite fauna of the striped skunk appears to be relatively depauperate. However, D. variabilis, I. cookei, I. scapularis, and C. felis are known to be vectors of zoonotic pathogens.