Fur loss syndrome and lice infestations observed on Arctic foxes in central Nunavut, Canada
As temperatures in the circumpolar north continue to warm, shifts in species distribution and the breakdown of environmental barriers for arthropods may impact the diversity and distribution of ectoparasites in Arctic ecosystems. In May 2019, fur loss over the neck and shoulders was observed on Arct...
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Canadian Science Publishing
2021
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crcansciencepubl:10.1139/as-2021-0005 2023-12-17T10:22:56+01:00 Fur loss syndrome and lice infestations observed on Arctic foxes in central Nunavut, Canada Buhler, Kayla J. Samelius, Gustaf Alisauskas, Ray Jenkins, Emily 2021 http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/as-2021-0005 https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1139/as-2021-0005 https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/as-2021-0005 en eng Canadian Science Publishing http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining Arctic Science volume 7, issue 4, page 872-878 ISSN 2368-7460 2368-7460 General Earth and Planetary Sciences General Agricultural and Biological Sciences General Environmental Science journal-article 2021 crcansciencepubl https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2021-0005 2023-11-19T13:39:37Z As temperatures in the circumpolar north continue to warm, shifts in species distribution and the breakdown of environmental barriers for arthropods may impact the diversity and distribution of ectoparasites in Arctic ecosystems. In May 2019, fur loss over the neck and shoulders was observed on Arctic foxes in a terrestrial Arctic ecosystem (Karrak Lake) in central Nunavut, Canada. This was inconsistent with normal patterns of shedding winter fur and had not been observed on Arctic foxes in this population over the previous 19 years of live-trapping. Operculated eggs attached to hair shafts were collected from one affected fox. Conventional PCR using universal louse primers targeting conserved regions of mitochondrial 12S and 16S rDNA confirmed that the eggs belonged to the order Phthiraptera. Sequencing results were inconclusive at the species level. Further investigation revealed a single unpublished report of an Arctic fox with similar fur loss trapped on mainland Nunavut, in 1997. Adult lice collected from this fox were identified as sucking lice (potentially from the genus Linognathus). Our findings emphasize the need for further monitoring and have significant implications for trappers and wildlife management, as infestations negatively impact the pelt quality of these important furbearers. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Arctic Fox Arctic Nunavut Canadian Science Publishing (via Crossref) Arctic Nunavut Canada Karrak Lake ENVELOPE(-100.250,-100.250,67.250,67.250) Arctic Science 1 7 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Canadian Science Publishing (via Crossref) |
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crcansciencepubl |
language |
English |
topic |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences General Agricultural and Biological Sciences General Environmental Science |
spellingShingle |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences General Agricultural and Biological Sciences General Environmental Science Buhler, Kayla J. Samelius, Gustaf Alisauskas, Ray Jenkins, Emily Fur loss syndrome and lice infestations observed on Arctic foxes in central Nunavut, Canada |
topic_facet |
General Earth and Planetary Sciences General Agricultural and Biological Sciences General Environmental Science |
description |
As temperatures in the circumpolar north continue to warm, shifts in species distribution and the breakdown of environmental barriers for arthropods may impact the diversity and distribution of ectoparasites in Arctic ecosystems. In May 2019, fur loss over the neck and shoulders was observed on Arctic foxes in a terrestrial Arctic ecosystem (Karrak Lake) in central Nunavut, Canada. This was inconsistent with normal patterns of shedding winter fur and had not been observed on Arctic foxes in this population over the previous 19 years of live-trapping. Operculated eggs attached to hair shafts were collected from one affected fox. Conventional PCR using universal louse primers targeting conserved regions of mitochondrial 12S and 16S rDNA confirmed that the eggs belonged to the order Phthiraptera. Sequencing results were inconclusive at the species level. Further investigation revealed a single unpublished report of an Arctic fox with similar fur loss trapped on mainland Nunavut, in 1997. Adult lice collected from this fox were identified as sucking lice (potentially from the genus Linognathus). Our findings emphasize the need for further monitoring and have significant implications for trappers and wildlife management, as infestations negatively impact the pelt quality of these important furbearers. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Buhler, Kayla J. Samelius, Gustaf Alisauskas, Ray Jenkins, Emily |
author_facet |
Buhler, Kayla J. Samelius, Gustaf Alisauskas, Ray Jenkins, Emily |
author_sort |
Buhler, Kayla J. |
title |
Fur loss syndrome and lice infestations observed on Arctic foxes in central Nunavut, Canada |
title_short |
Fur loss syndrome and lice infestations observed on Arctic foxes in central Nunavut, Canada |
title_full |
Fur loss syndrome and lice infestations observed on Arctic foxes in central Nunavut, Canada |
title_fullStr |
Fur loss syndrome and lice infestations observed on Arctic foxes in central Nunavut, Canada |
title_full_unstemmed |
Fur loss syndrome and lice infestations observed on Arctic foxes in central Nunavut, Canada |
title_sort |
fur loss syndrome and lice infestations observed on arctic foxes in central nunavut, canada |
publisher |
Canadian Science Publishing |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/as-2021-0005 https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/full-xml/10.1139/as-2021-0005 https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/as-2021-0005 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-100.250,-100.250,67.250,67.250) |
geographic |
Arctic Nunavut Canada Karrak Lake |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Nunavut Canada Karrak Lake |
genre |
Arctic Arctic Fox Arctic Nunavut |
genre_facet |
Arctic Arctic Fox Arctic Nunavut |
op_source |
Arctic Science volume 7, issue 4, page 872-878 ISSN 2368-7460 2368-7460 |
op_rights |
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2021-0005 |
container_title |
Arctic Science |
container_start_page |
1 |
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7 |
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1785554577176657920 |