First confirmed record of the Corsac Fox,Vulpes corsac,from Iran and considerations on its status (Mammalia: Canidae)

The occurrence of the Corsac Fox, Vulpes corsac, is replete with ambiguity and uncertainty in the literature. We present the first confirmed record of the species from Iran. In the course of a survey, we found two Corsac Fox furs in Tehran Market in 2013 and separately recorded one adult and a group of three young in semi-arid steppes in central Turkmen Sahra, Golestan Province, in June 2014. Great Gerbil (Rhomobomys opimus), Libyan Jird (Meriones libycus), and Long-eared Hedgehog (Hemiechinus auritus) are among prey items. The Corsac Fox has a limited range in Iran and is threatened by habitat fragmentation and road kill.     

Social organization,survival, and dispersal of cape foxes (Vulpes chama) in South Africa

We monitored 20 cape foxes (Vulpes chama) to determine the social organization, survival, and dispersal of this species on two sites in South Africa from 2005 to 2008. Cape foxes were socially monogamous and territorial, with annual home ranges of mated pairs (n = 8) overlapping 80% on average, compared to a mean overlap of 3% between foxes in adjacent ranges. At least 2 pairs remained associated for >1 breeding season, and both sexes exhibited strong site fidelity, as home ranges in consecutive years overlapped 58–98%. Members of mated pairs never foraged together, however they used the same or nearby (<100 m apart) day rests 81% of the time when pups were 0–4 months of age, but only 28% of the time during other months of the year. Dispersal was male biased, as all juvenile males (n = 6) dispersed when 9–11.5 months old, whereas 3 of 4 juvenile females remained philopatric as either breeders or non-breeding associates. At least 6 foxes bred as yearlings (3 F, 3 M), indicating cape foxes have high reproductive potential. Two adult females maintained their territories after their mates died, whereas two adult males dispersed soon after their mates died, indicating cape foxes likely have a female-based social organization. Annual survival was 0.64, and predation from larger carnivores, primarily black-backed jackals (Canis mesomelas), was responsible for 71% of mortalities. Our results provided empirical support for previous hypotheses regarding the relationship between body size and life-history patterns in Canidae, as several ecological parameters of cape foxes were similar to that of other small (<6 kg) canid species, especially Vulpes species inhabiting arid and semi-arid environments.     

Field cost of activity in the kit fox, Vulpes macrotis

Field metabolic rates and daily movement distances were measured in 26 individual kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis) over a 29-mo period in the southern Mojave Desert of California. Kit foxes traveled long distances (up to 32 km d(-1)), with males usually traveling farther than females. Daily movement distances were affected by season, since males traveled the greatest distances in spring and females traveled farthest in summer. Individual foxes tracked multiple times demonstrated repeatability of daily movement distance between nights, between summer and winter, and between consecutive winters. The field cost of activity per unit distance was estimated as 15.6 kJ km(-1) from the partial regression coefficient of a multiple linear regression model, a value not significantly different from the incremental cost of locomotion derived from laboratory measurements. The field cost of activity was not affected by season, despite the expectation of higher costs of activity in the winter with increased thermoregulatory expenditure. The large daily movement distances resulted in significant activity energy expenditure (11%-33% of field metabolic rate), with a mean of 21% of field metabolic rate expended in activity during nonreproductive seasons.     

Diet of the fox Vulpes vulpes in a western Victorian forest

The diet of foxes living in a mixed dry sclerophyll forest at Naringal East near Warrnambool, Victoria was investigated by analysis of scats collected between October 1972 and July 1975. The results indicate that foxes in the study area are opportunistic feeders whose diet consists mainly of rabbits despite the abundance of suitably sized native mammals and an even greater abundance of birds. During summer and autumn the foxes consume large numbers of insects, particularly the black cricket, Gryllus servillei, and the Australian plague locust, Chortoicetes terminifera, and blackberries.     

Toxoplasmosis in sand fox (Vulpes rueppelli)

Fatal toxoplasmosis was diagnosed in a sand fox (Vulpes rueppelli) from United Arab Emirates. Toxoplasma gondii-like tachyzoites were found associated with necrosis in the intestine, spleen, liver, pancreas, lungs, mesenteric lymph nodes, and heart. Tachyzoites reacted positively with T. gondii-specific polyclonal antibodies. Antibodies to T. gondii were detected in 8 captive V. rueppelli assayed by the modified direct agglutination test in titers of 1:800 or higher.     

Acute disseminated toxoplasmosis in a red fox (Vulpes vulpes)

A red fox (Vulpes vulpes) with signs of neurological disease was captured in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA). The animal died in captivity and was examined because of suspected rabies. The liver had pale foci up to 4 mm in diameter. Foci of necrosis were associated with Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites in several organs including liver, lungs and adrenal glands. Rabies antigen and distemper virus inclusions were not detected. The diagnosis of acute disseminated toxoplasmosis was confirmed by immunohistochemical staining.     

First confirmed record of Lagocephalus sceleratus(Gmelin, 1789) in the Mediterranean Sea

One specimen of the Indo‐Pacific silverstripe blaasop Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789)(Tetraodontidae) is recorded from the Aegean coast of Turkey and is confirmed for the Mediterranean. Dispersal of the species to the Mediterranean is due to migration from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal.     

Identification of the Tibetan fox (Vulpes ferrilata) and the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) by copro-DNA diagnosis

Studies on feeding habits based on faeces dissecting are imperative to understand the natural history of Tibetan foxes and their functions in the transmission of a lethal zoonotic parasite, Echinococcus multilocularis. However, Tibetan foxes and red foxes live sympatrically on the Tibetan plateau, China. Therefore, the faeces of Tibetan foxes must be distinguished from those of red foxes. We established a diagnostic method to distinguish the faeces of the two species by amplifying a portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (cytb) and digesting with the restriction enzymes BamHI and SspI, to produce specific diagnostic banding patterns. This PCR-RFLP assay enabled rapid, accurate and easily performed identification and differentiation of the two species.     

The flea epifauna of a suburban fox (Vulpes vulpes) population

Five hundred and thirteen fleas, of eight different species, were collected from a sample of 252 foxes killed in suburban London. 25–8% of foxes carried fleas, with a mean of 204 fleas per fox. Levels of infestation of male and female hosts did not differ significantly. Possible sources of the fleas infesting foxes are discussed with respect to their seasonal occurrence and fox prey composition. No evidence was found to support the suggestion that foxes obtain the majority of their fleas from prey items, although occasional heavy infestations of some flea species were probably derived from recent meals. Although Pulex irritans, Paraceras m. melis and Ctenocephalides canis , which contributed 35 % of the flea epifauna, could be considered parasitic on the fox, it seems probable that foxes pick up the majority of their fleas from the habitat through which they move. Thus, two particularly heavily infested categories of foxes were found: (1) juveniles during July-September, their fleas probably being accumulated during exploratory and play activities, and (2) all animals during the period October-December.     

Pantropism of rabies virus in free-ranging rabid red fox Vulpes fulva

The fluorescent antibody and mouse inoculation tests were employed to study the pantropism of rabies virus in tissue from free-ranging red fox (Vulpes fulva) submitted for rabies diagnosis. Viral antigen was found in various organs and tissues of the body. The distribution of antigen within tissues is discussed in the light of the pathogenesis and potential excretion of the virus.     

Environmental factors influencing the use of habitat in the red fox, Vulpes vulpes

The seasonal variation in habitat selection and its determinants were assessed weekly for a sample of three dog-foxes and two vixens in an ecotonal area of the Tuscan coast, in Italy. The most utilized habitats were the maquis (scrubwood), meadows and pinewood. In the cold season the maquis was preferred to any other habitat, but in the warm months foxes made extensive use of meadows. On the other hand, no clear seasonal pattern of use was detectable for the pinewood. Food habits showed a seasonal variation: juniper berries were the staple food, forming by far the greatest part of the diet during the whole study, except in late spring through midsummer, when beetles and grasshoppers predominated. Availability indices for each main food category were calculated on a weekly basis. Distribution of juniper berries was found to be clumped, whereas insects were dispersed. It was also assessed that the former occurred almost entirely in the pinewood, while the latter inhabited mainly meadows and, to a lesser extent. the pinewood. Measures of fox activity in the three habitats were also taken. The fox diet correlated well to the seasonal abundance of the important food resources, which in turn was significantly correlated to meteorologic factors (temperature, number of rainy days). Surprisingly, the seasonal activity in the pinewood was inversely correlated to local food availability, i.e. juniper berries. This can be explained by the clumpedness of this food resource which, when abundant, allows foxes to become quickly satiated and to retreat to other, more preferred habitat such as the maquis. Such results caution against assuming that extensive time spent in a habitat is an indication of proportional feeding dependence on it.     

Hematologic values of the endangered San Joaquin kit fox, Vulpes macrotis mutica

Between 1981 and 1982 blood samples were collected from 64 adult San Joaquin kit foxes, Vulpes macrotis mutica, in western Kern County, California. The goal of the study was to establish normal blood values for this endangered species, and to determine whether changes in them could be used to assess the possible effects of petroleum developments on these foxes. None of the values differed significantly between the sexes, or between foxes sampled in developed habitats compared with foxes sampled in undisturbed habitats. Mean values of Hb, MCH, MCHC, and WBC counts differed significantly between summer and winter. Average hematological characteristics were: RBC, 8.4 X 10(6)/microliter; Hb, 14.5 g/dl (summer), 15.6 g/dl (winter); PCV, 46.9%; MCV, 56.3 fl; MCH, 17.8 pg (summer), 18.4 pg (winter); MCHC, 31.2 g/dl (summer), 33.2 g/dl (winter); and WBC, 6,200/microliter (summer), 7,500/microliter (winter). Comparisons of hematological data for kit foxes, coyotes (Canis latrans), and wolves (Canis lupus) confirmed a previously published observation that within mammalian families RBC counts are correlated inversely with body weight, and that MCV is correlated directly with body weight.     

Distribution, habitat utilization and age structure of a suburban fox (Vulpes vulpes) population

The occurrence of wild foxes in suburbia is discussed. It is shown that in London breeding populations of foxes are found 5 km from the city centre, and in the last 3 years foxes have been recorded in the very centre of the city. The fox population in London is shown to be heavily dependent on residential habitats for both daytime harbourage and when selecting sites for natal earths. The fox population is unevenly distributed in London, with a marked clumping of the adult population during most of the year. The age structure of the population is presented, and these data are compared with data for other canid populations. Conclusions are drawn as to the effects of conventional control techniques on the age structure of a fox population.