Distribution extension of Aspiculuris americana parasite of Peromyscus difficilis in Hidalgo, México

Abstract

As a part of an ongoing project to inventory the helminth parasites of rodents in México, 30 individuals of Aspiculuris americana were collected inhabiting the intestine from three specimens of the rock mouse Peromyscus difficilis, collected from Cerro Xihuingo, Municipality of Tepeapulco, Hidalgo State, México. This species of nematode parasite different species of the genus Peromyscus (P. gossypinus, P. leucopus, P. maniculatus, and P. floridanus) distributed from Yukon Territory in Canada to Florida in the United States of America. This is the first report of Aspiculuris americana in a Mexican endemic rodent, widening the known distribution of the species to the southern portion of the country.