Helminths of the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep in Western Canada.

UHAZY, L. S., and J. C. HOLMES. 1971. Helminths of the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep in Western Canada. Can. J. Zool. 49: 507-512. Thirty-six Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis c. canadensis), 33 from four areas in Alberta and 3 from Kootenay National Park, British Columbia, were examined for helminths. Data from these exammations were supplemented by examination of 462 fecal samples from the same areas. Seventeen species of helminths were recovered: 3 cestodes, Moniezia expansa and Wyominia tetoni and the cysticerci of Taenia hydatigena; and 14 nematodes, Capillaria sp., Marshallagia marshalli, Nematodirus archari, N. davtiani, N . maculosus, N. oiratianus, N. spathiger, Ostertagia circumcincta, 0 . occidentalis, Protostrongylus rushi, P. stilesi, Skrjabinema ovis, Teladorsagia davtiani, and Trichuris ovis. The records of Capillaria sp., Nemotodirus maculosus, and Teladorsagia davtiani are apparently the first from bighorn sheep. Nine other records are new for bighorn sheep in Canada. Total numbers of helminths (excluding lungworms) per bighorn ranged fror? 36 to 8345. There was little variation in the prevalence or the relative abundance of the different species m the areas sampled.