Some Host Relationships of Long Island Ticks1

Spatial Distribution of Counties in the Continental United States With Records of Occurrence ofAmblyomma americanum(Ixodida: Ixodidae)

“…Such evidence could be pursued by repeating field sampling from previous decades in the same localities and with the same collection methods. In this respect, Ginsberg et al (1991, 2002) noted that A. americanum comprised a greater proportion of total ticks flagged on Long Island and Fire Island, NY, in 1986, 1990, and 1994–2000 than in samples reported from previous studies in the 1940s (when A. americanum was not collected) and the 1970s when it occurred but was relatively less abundant than other species (Anastos 1947; Collins et al 1949a,b; Good 1972, 1973). …”

Changes in the geographic distribution of the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, in the United States

“…From 1921 to 1950, collection records typically include small numbers of adult ticks taken from humans or domestic animals, or from hunter-killed medium-sized mammals (e.g., bobcat, coyote, fox, opossum, and raccoon) or deer (see references in Sections 6 – 11 ). Records from drag sampling or examination of wildlife serving as hosts for the immature life stages, such as rodents, lizards, and birds, occurred but were less frequent ( Larousse et al, 1928 ; Hixson, 1941 ; Smith and Cole, 1943 ; Cooley and Kohls, 1945 ; Collins et al, 1949 ; Rogers, 1953 ; White, 1955 ; Eads et al, 1956 ; Spielman et al, 1979 ; Persing et al, 1990 ; Mc Allister et al, 2016 ). Records of I. scapularis from 1921 to 1950 were most plentiful and widespread in the Southeast and South climate regions, limited from the Ohio Valley region, entirely lacking from the Upper Midwest and Northern Rockies and Plains, and restricted to local geographic areas in the Northeast.…”

“…Records of I. scapularis from 1921 to 1950 were most plentiful and widespread in the Southeast and South climate regions, limited from the Ohio Valley region, entirely lacking from the Upper Midwest and Northern Rockies and Plains, and restricted to local geographic areas in the Northeast. Notable works published in the 1940s ( Cooley, 1944 ; Bequaert, 1945 ; Bishopp and Trembley, 1945 ; Cooley and Kohls, 1945 ; Collins et al, 1949 ) described I. scapularis as a species with a southern distribution. The estimated geographic range of I. scapularis (= I. ricinus scapularis ) presented by Bishopp and Trembley in 1945 depicts a southern distribution for this tick in the eastern US, fairly similar to that presented previously by Hooker et al (1912) but extending further north along the Eastern Seaboard up to Massachusetts ( Fig.…”

“…The majority of other collection records for I. scapularis from the Northeast during 1921–1950 were from another refugium site for white tailed deer ( Severinghaus and Brown, 1956 ): Long Island, Suffolk County in New York. A series of collection records from different locations on Long Island (including Greenport, Montauk Point, Sag Harbor, and Southampton) from 1945 to 1950 included I. scapularis nymphs taken from various wild mammals as well as adults taken by drag sampling or from human, rabbit, or skunk ( Anastos, 1947 ; Collins et al, 1949 ; Spielman et al, 1979 ; Persing et al, 1990 ; USNTC, unpublished data). This appears to represent another well documented established population of I. scapularis along the Atlantic Coast in the Northeast, together with the previously known population in the Cape Cod area roughly 300 km to the north.…”