Nymphal survival and habitat distribution of Ixodes scapularis and Amblyomma americanum ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) on Fire Island, New York, USA
Document Type
Article
Date of Original Version
1-1-1996
Abstract
The distribution and survival of Ixodes scapularis and Amblyomma americanum were studied in deciduous and coniferous wooded habitats and in open habitats on Fire Island, New York, USA. The survival of nymphal I. scapularis in field enclosures was greater in forests than in open habitats, suggesting that greater survival contributes to the higher tick population in the woods. The nymphs of each species were more common in deciduous thickets (predominantly Aronia arbutifolia and Vaccinium corymbosum) than in coniferous woods (mostly Pinus rigida) in most but not all years. Larval I. scapularis were more common in coniferous sites in 1994, while the same ticks, as nymphs, were more common in deciduous sites in 1995. The survival of the nymphs was not consistently greater in either the deciduous or coniferous woods. Therefore, factors other than nymphal survival (e.g. larval overwintering survival and tick movement on hosts) probably influenced the relative nymph abundance in different forest types. Overall, the survival of A. americanum was far higher than that of I. scapularis. © 1996 Chapman & Hall.
Publication Title, e.g., Journal
Experimental and Applied Acarology
Volume
20
Issue
9
Citation/Publisher Attribution
Ginsberg, Howard S., and Elyes Zhioua. "Nymphal survival and habitat distribution of Ixodes scapularis and Amblyomma americanum ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) on Fire Island, New York, USA." Experimental and Applied Acarology 20, 9 (1996). doi: 10.1007/BF00048285.