Host Associations and Seasonal Occurrence of Fleas from Southeastern Wisconsin Mammals, with Observations on Morphologic Variations1

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Abstract
Seventeen flea species and subspecies are reported from 17 mammal hosts mostly from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside study area, 1972. Eighteen new host records for Wisconsin are also reported. White-footed Mice, Eastern Cottontails and Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrels were exclusively parasitized by 1 flea species each. Virginia Opossums had the most varied flea population, comprising 9 species. Incidental infestation due to habitat association and/or predation was noted in many hosts. Fleas from Gray Squirrels, Eastern Chipmunks and Virginia Opossums were more abundant in the spring, with a 2nd peak for the 1st host in July. When Orchopeas h. howardii (Baker) and Megabothris acerbus (Jordan) were at peak abundance, females predominated. Male Gray Squirrels were more heavily infested than females. Reinfestation rate was higher in Gray Squirrels than in Eastern Chipmunks. Local populations of most flea species examined were observed to be highly variable in certain key diagnostic characters. These variations were possibly due to genetic variability, geographical population differences or hybridization but were not consistent enough to suggest subspeciation. A critical appraisal of each variation is included.