Collections of Immature Amblyomma maculatum Koch (Acari: Ixodidae) from Mississippi, U.S.A

ORCID

Goddard: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2617-7141

MSU Affiliation

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology

Creation Date

2026-10-30

Abstract

Immatures of Amblyomma maculatum have historically been difficult to collect when not on an animal host, thus a definite seasonality of the immatures has never been determined. In this study, we made tick collections at two sites during 2012-2014. Site A (Oktibbeha County) in northern Mississippi, and Site B (Jackson County) in southern Mississippi, were sampled from September-May and October-May, respectively. Sampling was made from vegetation with a 1 m2weighted white corduroy drag cloth, dry ice traps, and also a novel method known as “swabbing.” A total of 157 ticks was collected, with 42% (n=65) being A. maculatum. Of these 65, only 20% (n=13) were immatures, with 18.5% (n=12) being nymphs, and a larva (1.5%) (collected by swabbing). To our knowledge, this is only the third time that a larva of this species have been collected from vegetation in the United States. The larva is the first collected from Mississippi in November, and expands the known seasonality of this stage. Of the twelve nymphs collected, one was found during May, becoming the first collected south of U.S. Route 84 in Mississippi during this month.

Keywords

Amblyomma maculatum, Immature, Mississippi, Seasonality, Swabbing

Publication Date

1-4-2015

Publication Title

Systematic and Applied Acarology

Publisher

Systematic and Applied Acarology Society

First Page

20

Last Page

24

Rights

© Systematic & Applied Acarology Society

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Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.11158/saa.20.1.3