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Aggregation in the questing tick, Rhipicephalus pulchellus
Author(s) -
BOER J. DEN,
BOER M. H. DEN
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
physiological entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1365-3032
pISSN - 0307-6962
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3032.1980.tb00217.x
Subject(s) - biology , tick , ixodidae , zoology , ecology
. The ixodid tick, Rhipicephalus pulchellus (Ixodidae) can be observed aggregated on the tips of grass stems in the field in Kenya. From laboratory experiments, Browning (1976) concluded that these aggregations were the result of ticks having first aggregated on the ground if provided with sufficient cover. During our extension of Browning's experiments using several types of cover, the ticks did not exhibit aggregating behaviour. The influence of the presence of a human observer on the activity of the ticks, however, became apparent.