The occurrence and abundance of helminth parasites of the mountain hare Lepus timidus (L.) and the wild rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus (L.) in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Mountain hares were collected each month between April 1984 and March 1985 and their intestines examined for helminths. 26 rabbits were also collected between July and December 1984 and examined for gastro-intestinal helminths. Three nematode and two cestode species were found in the hares while only two nematode and one cestode species were found in the rabbits. Trichostrongylus retortaeformis was recorded from 88% of the 193 hares and 92% of the rabbits while comparable figures for Passalurus ambiguus were 0.5% and 54% and for Mosgovoyia pectinata 14% and 81%. Seasonal fluctuations were observed in the T. retortaeformis populations in the hare; numbers tended to be low during the winter months and high throughout the summer. Paranoplocephala wimerosa was reported for the first time from the British Isles and Trichostrongylus axei was recorded for the first time in the mountain hare.