PROCEEDINGS OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



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SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 

 U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Vol. 101 Washington : 1951 No. 3278 



FLEAS FROM THE UPPER SONORAN ZONE NEAR 

 ALBUQUERQUE, N. MEX. 



By Lelia Ann Williams and C. Clayton Hoff 



During 1948 and 1949 a study was made of the fleas of some 

 common rodents and rodent nests taken in the vicinity of Albu- 

 querque, N. Mex. The more than 140 rodents examined included 

 the large spotted ground squirrel [Citellus spilosoma major (Mer- 

 riam)], kangaroo rats {Dipodomys spp.), grasshopper mice 

 [Onychomys leucogaster (Wied)], and deer mice (Peromyscus 

 maniculatus (Wagner)], obtained from the mixed grassland asso- 

 ciation found in the lower portion of the Upper Sonoran Zone, 

 and the hoary woodrat (Neotoma tnicropus canescens Allen) and 

 Say's rock squirrel [Citellus variegatus grammiirus (Say)], found 

 chiefly in the pinyon-juniper association or the upper portion of 

 the Upper Sonoran Zone. As reported previously (Hoff and Wil- 

 liams, 1949) , the nests examined were of the kangaroo rat (Dipod- 

 omys spectabilis Merriam) and the hoary woodrat mentioned 

 above. The junior author is continuing the study to include the 

 fleas of rodents found in biotic associations at higher elevations in 

 the mountains near Albuquerque, N. Mex. 



The junior author was largely responsible for the collection of 

 rodents and nests,' although Ferd Sumrell and Dewitt Ivey aided 

 in this work. The junior author also assumed responsibility for 

 the final preparation of the drawings and the manuscript for pub- 

 lication, as well as for general supervision of the study. The senior 



' The incidental field work was aided financially by a faculty research grant to the junior author 

 from the University of New Mexico. 



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