Attachment-site patterns of adult blacklegged ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) on white-tailed deer and horses
1998
Schmidtamann, E.T. | Carroll, J.F. | Watson, D.W.
The attachment site pattern of adult Ixodes scapularis Say on white-tailed deer and horses in Maryland was determined by whole-body examinations during fall and spring periods of tick host-seeking activity. On deer in the fall, both female and male I. scapularis attached largely to anterior dorsal body regions, with at tachment to the ears (outside), head, neck, and brisket accounting for 87.9% of females and 86.6% of males. The attachment pattern of females differed between b ucks and does during fall, but not in spring, and both females and males were mo re abundant on bucks than does during fall, but not in spring. Neither female no r male attachment patterns on deer differed between fall and spring seasons. In contrast to deer, the ears and neck of horses were largely devoid of blacklegged ticks, and 84% of the females were attached either on the chest, in the axillae of the fore and rear legs, or under the jawbone. The restricted attachment of f emale blacklegged ticks to ventral body regions of horses may reflect avoidance of light. An understanding of the attachment patterns of adult I. scapularis, an increasingly abundant and economically important species, enhances sampling of feeding ticks, deticking to limit host irritation or exposure to tick-borne path ogens, and identifies body areas that should be targeted for delivery of repelle nts or acaricides.
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