Open AccessDiversity and seasonality of host-seeking ticks in a periurban environment in the Central Midwest (USA)
Author(s) -
Ali Hroobi,
Gunavanthi D. Boorgula,
David M. Gordon,
Jianfa Bai,
Doug Goodin,
Gary A. Anderson,
Savannah Wilson,
Alex Staggs,
Ram K. Raghavan
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0250272
Subject(s) - amblyomma americanum , ixodes scapularis , dermacentor variabilis , biology , tick , ixodes , ecology , host (biology) , ixodidae , zoology
Between March 2014 and February 2017, host-seeking ticks were collected during the late spring and summer months seasonally, and as well as continually through all seasons from several sites in a periurban environment in Pittsburg, Kansas, located in the Central Midwestern United States. All three post-emergent life-stages of Amblyomma americanum , and the adults of three other ticks viz. Dermacentor variabilis , A . maculatum , and Ixodes scapularis were collected using the flagging method, and were taxonomically identified using morphological and molecular methods. A total of 15946 ticks were collected from these sites. A vast majority of the ticks collected over the three-year study period was A . americanum (79.01%). The three other species collected included D . variabilis (13.10%), A . maculatum (7.15%), and Ixodes scapularis (0.73%). More female ticks of each species were collected throughout the study period from all sites, and a unimodal activity period was noted for all four species. The diversity, composition, and phenology of these medically significant tick species are discussed.