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1 March 2015 Ability of Unfed Dermacentor variabilis (Acari: Ixodidae) to Survive a Second Winter as Adults in Manitoba, Canada, Near the Northern Limit of Their Range
Matthew E. M. Yunik, Terry D. Galloway, L. Robbin Lindsay
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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. Survival of the collected ticks was assessed on two occasions. In midwinter, an average 39.4% (SE ± 2.50) of the ticks were still alive, while an average 19.9% (SE ± 1.14) survived to April. Female ticks had significantly higher survivorship than males. The ability to survive an additional winter allows ticks to act in a greater capacity as reservoirs for tick-associated pathogens in this region.

© The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com
Matthew E. M. Yunik, Terry D. Galloway, and L. Robbin Lindsay "Ability of Unfed Dermacentor variabilis (Acari: Ixodidae) to Survive a Second Winter as Adults in Manitoba, Canada, Near the Northern Limit of Their Range," Journal of Medical Entomology 52(2), 138-142, (1 March 2015). https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tju061
Received: 16 September 2014; Accepted: 12 December 2014; Published: 1 March 2015
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KEYWORDS
northern distribution limit
snow cover
vector potential
winter survival
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