Fleas Associated with Nests of the Desert Wood Rat

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Abstract
From a study of 840 specimens of fleas collected from wood rat nests in the Cedar Mountains at Dugway, Tooele County, Utah, from April 1954 to April 1955, it was found that there is a seasonal fluctuation in the flea populations. Adult fleas appear to be absent from April to Sept., but present during the balance of the year. The most abundant spp., Anomiopsyllus amphibolus and Megarthroglossus smiti, show seasonal peaks in population from October to December. A. amphibolus appears to Oct., reaches its peak in Dec, then gradually declines in numbers until it disappears in May. M. smiti appears abruptly in Oct., reaches its peak population during the same month, and then maintains a relatively stable population until it disappears in May. A comparison of the multi-nest houses indicates that the rat lives in one nest at a time. Nests rebuilt during the flea season require at least one month to become reinfested with fleas. The present study shows a correlation between macroecology and population trends, but the explanation for this correlation is not clear. A comparison of 3 related studies illustrates the variation between populations of the different areas, and within the same area. An understanding of the rodent consortes of the wood rat house would more fully explain the relationship or ''source of each sp. of flea within the nest.
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