Ability of Unfed Dermacentor variabilis (Acari: Ixodidae) to Survive a Second Winter as Adults in Manitoba, Canada, Near the Northern Limit of Their Range.
Title | Ability of Unfed Dermacentor variabilis (Acari: Ixodidae) to Survive a Second Winter as Adults in Manitoba, Canada, Near the Northern Limit of Their Range. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2015 |
Journal | J Med Entomol |
Volume | 52 |
Issue | 2 |
Start Page | 138 |
Date Published | 03/2015 |
Authors | Yunik ME, Galloway TD, Lindsay LR |
Keywords | northern distribution limit, snow cover, vector potential, winter survival |
Abstract | One thousand seven hundred unfed field-collected adult Dermacentor variabilis (Say) were overwintered in 34 outdoor enclosures near the northern limit of their distribution in Manitoba, Canada. At the northern limits of the range of D. variabilis, it had always been assumed that unfed adult ticks questing in spring succumbed before the next winter and were not part of the population observed in the following year. The ability to survive an additional winter allows ticks to act in a greater capacity as reservoirs for tick-associated pathogens in this region. |
DOI | 10.1093/jme/tju061 |