Winter Ectoparasites of Mammals in the Northeastern Piedmont Area of Georgia

Twenty-three species of ectoparasites were recovered from 10 species of mammals (89 individuals) in Mistletoe State Park, Columbia County, Georgia, during three winter months of 1998 The collection consisted of 9 species of fleas, 6 mites, 4 sucking lice, 3 ticks, and 1 mammal-associated beetle. Some rarely-collected arthropods were recorded including the ctenophthalmid fleas, Doratopsylla blarinae C. Fox and Epitedia cavernicola Traub, the laelapid mite, Echinonyssus blarinae (Herrin) (first records from Georgia for these three ectoparasites), and the leptinid beetle, Leptinus orientamericanus Peck (second record for Georgia). Varying degrees of host-specificity were exhibited by the 23 species of ectoparasites. Because relatively few mammal ectoparasite surveys are completed during the winter months, some seemingly rare species may, in reality, be more common at this time of year.