Abstract
Female ticks of Ornithodoros porcinus porcinus undergo a series of adult moults when fed on blood containing eedysteroids. The supermoulted ticks are bigger, ingest larger blood meals and lay more eggs than normal females. However, their rate of conversion of blood into eggs and their oxygen uptake are reduced in comparison to normal ticks. Their ability to resorb the rehydrated salt crystals is impaired. They are unable to shed the cuticle of the Gene’s organ area leaving the organ constantly protruding, thus making the ticks vulnerable to dehydration. These factors are probably responsible for the very high mortality and the failure of most of the ticks to moult at the third supermoulting cycle.
Résumé
Les tiques femelles Ornithodoros porcinus porcinus, subissant une série de mues à l’état adulte quand elles sont nourries à du sang contenant des eedystéroides. Les tiques qui subissent plusieurs mues sont plus grosses, consomment plus de sang et pondent plus d’oeufs que les femelles normales. Cependant, leur taux de conversion du sang en oeufs et leur consommation d’oxygène est plus réduite comparée à ceux des tiques normales. Leur capacité de résorption des crystaux de sels réhydrates est réduite. Elles sont incapables de perdre la cuticule de la surface de l’organe de Géne, laissant l’organe saillant et exposant ainsi les tiques à la dehydration. Ces facteurs sont probablement résponsables de la mortalité élevée et du fait que les tiques sont incapables de ser muer au troisième cycle de super mue.
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Mango, C.K.A., Odhiambo, T.R., Obenchain, F. et al. The Biology of Supermoulted Female Tick Ornithodoros Porcinus Porcinus. Int J Trop Insect Sci 7, 123–128 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742758400008833
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742758400008833