Abstract
The effect of mating on the feeding and fecundity ofIxodes (Pholeoixodes) hexagonus females was studied under controlled laboratory conditions of 22–23°C and 98% relative humidity. The feeding period of mated females was 6–15 days and 11–13 days for unmated females. The mean weight of the engorged mated females was 114.84±45.89 mg, whereas, that of the engorged unmated females was significantly lower (80.61±28.84 mg). During the initial slow feeding period, the weight of mated females increased 6.6 times. At the end of the blood feeding, they had increased their initial weight 35.5 times. Unmated females never entered the rapid engorgement phase and up to 12 days of feeding period their mean weight did not increase more than 9.2 times. The pre-oviposition periods of mated and unmated females were 6–15 days and 4–12 days, respectively. The mean of the egg production efficiency was 40.26±12.47% for mated females and 35.68±12.2% for unmated females. The mean of the mass conversion efficiency was 73.6±13.7% for mated females and 66.48 ±16.55% for unmated females. Sixty per cent of the eggs deposited by mated females hatched whereas only 1% of the eggs deposited by unmated females hatched. These results indicate thatI. hexagonus females possess some predisposition for parthenogenesis and only fertility and not fecundity depends on mating.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aboul-Nasr A.E., and Bassal T.T.M. 1972. Biochemical and physiological studies of certain ticks (ixodoidea). Effect of mating, feeding and oogenesis on oxygen consumption ofHyalomma (H.) dromedarii Koch (Ixodidae). J. Parasitol., 58 (4): 828–831.
Al-Asgah N. 1992. Biology ofHyalomma schulzei (Acari: Ixodidae) on rabbits under laboratory conditions. J. Med. Entomol., 29: 19–24.
Arthur D.R. 1951. The bionomics ofIxodes hexagonus leach in Britain. Parasitology, 41: 82–90.
Arthur D.R. 1963. British Ticks. Butterworth, London.
Aubert M.F.A. 1981. Breeding of the tickIxodes (Pholeoixodes) rugicollis (Acari: Ixodidae) under laboratory conditions. J. Med. Entomol., 18 (4): 324–327.
Bassal T.T.M. and Hefnawy T. 1972. Biochemical and physiological studies of certain ticks (Ixodoidea). The effect of unfed female weight on feeding and oviposition ofHyalomma (H.) dromedarii Koch (Ixodidae). J. Parasitol. 58: 984–988.
Bennett G.F. 1994. Oviposition ofBoophilus microplus (Canestrini) (Acarina: Ixodidae). Acarologia, 16 (1): 52–61.
Carter W.F., 1955. A case of human parasitization byIxodes hexagonus Leach (hedgehog tick). Br. Med. J., 4946 (65): 1012.
Dipeolu O.O. 1991. Laboratory studies on the oviposition, egg-sizes and shapes and embryonic development ofDermacentor variabilis, Rhipicephalus sanguineus andAmblyomma maculatum. Acarologia, 32 (3): 233–243.
Drummond R.O. and Whetstone T.M., 1970. Oviposition of the Gulf Coast tick. J. Econ. Ent., 63 (5): 1547–1551.
Drummond R.O., Whetstone T.M., Ernest S.E. and Gladney W.J. 1971. Oviposition of the American dog tick (Acarina: Ixodidae). Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am., 64 (6): 1305–1309
Farkas M.J. and Surgeoner G.A. 1991. Development times and fecundity ofIxodes cookei Packard (Acari: Ixodidae) under laboratory conditions. Can. Entomol., 123 (1): 1–12.
Gern L., Toutoungi L.N., Hu C.M. and Aeschlimann A. 1991.Ixodes (Pholeoixodes) hexagonus, an efficient vector ofBorrelia burgdorferi in the laboratory. Med. Vet. Entomol., 5: 431–435.
Gilot B. and Aubert M.F.A. 1985. Les Ixodidae (Acariens, Ixodoidea) parasites des Carnivores sauvages dans les Alpes françaises et leur avant-pays. Acarologia, 26: 215–233.
Gladney W.J. and Dawkins C.C. 1971. Parthenogenetic reproduction byDermacentor variabilis (Acarina: Ixodidae). Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am., 64 (6): 1287–1289.
Gladney W.J., Dawkins C.C. and Price M.A. 1977.Amblyomma inornatum (Acarina: Ixodidae): natural hosts and laboratory biology. J. Med. Entomol., 14 (1): 85–88.
Graf J.F. 1978. Copulation, nutrition et ponte chezIxodes ricinus L. (Ixodoidea: Ixodidae)—3e partie. Bull. Soc. Entomol. Suisse. 51: 343–360.
Harris S. and Thompson G. 1978. Populations of the ticksIxodes (Pholeoixodes) hexagonus andIxodes (Pholeoixodes) canisuga infesting suburban foxes,Vulpes vulpes. J. Zool. 186: 83–93.
Honzakova E. 1971. Development of some tick species under standard laboratory conditions. Folia Parasit., 18: 357–363.
Hoogstraal H., Roberts F.H.S., Kohls G.M. and Tipton V.J. 1968. Review ofHaemaphysalis (Kaiseriana) longicornis Neumann (Resurrected) of Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Fiji, Japan, Korea, and Northeastern China and USSR, and its parthenogenetic and bisexual populations (Ixodoidea, Ixodidae). J. Parasitol., 54 (6): 1197–1213.
Hueli L.E., Guevara-Benitez D.C. and Garcia-Fernandez P. 1988. Oviposition deDermacentor (Dermacentor) marginatus Schulzer, 1776 (Acarina, Ixodidae) dans des conditions de laboratoire. Acarologia, 29 (3): 261–264.
Kitaoka S. 1961. Physiological and ecological studies on some ticks. VII: Parthenogenetic and bisexual races ofHaemaphysalis bispinosa in Japan and experimental crossing between them. Nat. Int. An. Health (Tokyo) Quart., 1: 142–149.
Kitaoka S. and Yajima A. 1958. Physiological and ecological studies of some ticks. II. Phase change in oviposition ability with blood sucking quantity. Bull. Nat. Inst. Anim. Health., 34: 149–162.
Krivanec K., Kopecky J., Tomkova E. and Grubhoffer L. 1988. Isolation of TBE virus from the tickIxodes hexagonus. Folia Parasitol., 53: 273–276.
Liebisch A. and Olbrich S. 1991. The hedgehog tick,Ixodes hexagonus Leach, 1815, as a vector ofBorrelia burgdorferi in Europe. In Modern Acarology, F. Dusbábek and V. Bukva (eds), pp. 67–71. Academia, Prague and SPB Academic Publishing BV, The Hague.
Nagar S.K. 1968. On the significance of the duration of preoviposition and oviposition periods in ixodid ticks. Acarologia, 10: 621–629.
Nuttall G.H.F. 1913. Observations on the biology of the Ixodidae. Parasitology, 6 (2) 68–118.
Oliver J.H. 1974. Symposium on reproduction of Arthropods of medical and veterinary importance. IV. Reproduction in ticks (Ixodoidea). J. Med. Entomol., 11 (1): 26–34.
Pappas P. and Oliver J.R. 1972. Reproduction in ticks (Acari: Ixodidea). 2. Analysis of the rapid stimulus for rapid and complete feeding of femaleDermacentor variabilis (Say). J. Med. Entomol., 9 (1): 47–50.
Pervomaisky G.S. 1949. Parthenogenetic development in ticks of the family Ixodidae. Zool. Zh., 28 (6): 523–526.
Randolph S.E. 1980. Population regulation in ticks: the effect of delayed mating on fertility inIxodes trianguliceps. J. Parasitol., 66 (2): 287–292.
Rechav Y. 1968. The effect of delayed mating on feeding time and oviposition inHyalomma excavatum (Koch) with a note on parthenogenesis. Refu. Vet., 25: 172–178.
Rechav Y. and Knight M.M. 1981. Life cycle in the laboratory and seasonal activity of the tickRhipicephalus glabroscutatum (Acarina: Ixodidae). J. Parasitol., 67 (1): 85–89.
Roman E., Huynh-Thanh L. and Pichot J. 1973. Etude biogéographique et écologique sur les tiques (Acariens Ixodoidea) de la région Lyonnaise. Bull. Mens. Soc. Linn. Lyon., 42: 65–73.
Smith M.W. 1972. The life history ofIxodes canisuga (Johnson 1849) under laboratory conditions. Ann. Trop. Med. Parasitol., 66 (2): 281–286.
Snow, K.R. 1967. Egg maturation inHyalomma anatolicum Koch, 1844 (Ixodoidea, Ixodidae). Proc. 2nd Int. Cong. Acarol. Scutton Bonington, 9–25 July, 1967: pp. 349–356.
Streissle G. 1960. Untersuchungen zur Übertragung des Virus der Frühsommer-Meningo-Enzephalitis durch die ZeckeIxodes hexagonus Leach. Zent. Bakt. Parasit. Infek. Hyg., 197 (3): 289–297.
Sweatman G.K. 1968. Temperature and humidity effects on the oviposition ofHyalomma aegyptium ticks of different engorgement weights. J. Med. Entomol., 5: 429–439.
Toutoungi L.N. and Gern L. 1993. Ability of transovarially and subsequent transstadially infectedIxodes hexagonus ticks to maintain and transmitBorrelia burgdorferi in the laboratory. Exp. Appl. Acarol., 17 (8): 581–586.
Toutoungi L.N., Gern L., Aeschlimann A. and Debrot S. 1991. A propos du genrePholeoixodes, parasite des Carnivores en Suisse. Acarologia, 32 (4): 311–328.
Toutoungi L.N., Gern L. and Aeschlimann A. 1993. Biology ofIxodes (Pholeoixodes) hexagonus under laboratory conditions. Part I. Immature stages. Exp. Appl. Acarol., 17 (9): 655–662.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Toutoungi, L.N., Gern, L. & Aeschlimann, A. Biology of Ixodes (Pholeoixodes) hexagonus under laboratory conditions Part II. Effect of mating on feeding and fecundity of females. Exp Appl Acarol 19, 233–245 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00130826
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00130826