32nd Annual Student Research Conference
Where Are All the Nymphal Dermacentor variabilis?
Zachary T. Burton
Dr. Stephanie Fore, Faculty Mentor
The most common tick species in Missouri are Amblyomma americanum and Dermacentor variabilis. In our long-term monitoring work in Adair County, MO, we have sampled relatively few subadult D. variabilis off-host; most were collected D. variabilis on-host. The objective of this study was to determine if the timing of off-host sampling influences the collection of nymphal D. variabilis. Data from previous sampling suggest that July to early September is a time period in which nymphs are active. We conducted four sampling sessions in August and September. In each sampling session, bait and drag sampling were used to collect ticks every four hours for 24 hour periods. No nymphal D. variabilis were collected with off-host methods; A. americanum was the most collected species. This study supports that Dermacentor variabilis nymphs are difficult to sample using off-host methods and suggests that time of day did not increase capture success.
Keywords: Dermacentor variabilis, Amblyoma americanum, ticks, method, 24 hour
Topic(s):Biology
Presentation Type: Poster
Session: 8-7
Location: SUB GEO
Time: 3:00