A comparison between tick species collected in a controlled and control free area on a game ranch in South Africa

Despite the large number of collection records, there are no recent collections of ixodid ticks of this magnitude in the Waterberg area, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Free-living ticks on a commercial game farm were obtained by a total of 432 drag-samples in eight sample sites from September 2003...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Bradley Schroder, Brian K. Reilly
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AOSIS 2013-04-01
Series:Journal of the South African Veterinary Association
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.jsava.co.za/index.php/jsava/article/view/907/1114
Description
Summary:Despite the large number of collection records, there are no recent collections of ixodid ticks of this magnitude in the Waterberg area, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Free-living ticks on a commercial game farm were obtained by a total of 432 drag-samples in eight sample sites from September 2003 to August 2008. The ticks were collected to establish the difference between tick species and densities associated with acaricide-controlled (semi-intensive) and control-free areas on a game farm in the Thabazimbi District, Limpopo Province, South Africa. A total of eight tick species were collected, namely Amblyomma hebraeum, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus, Haemaphysalis elliptica, Hyalomma rufipes, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, Rhipicephalus zambeziensis and Rhipicephalus spp. The most abundant tick species collected was Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus. The difference in species and numbers reflects the effectiveness of acaricide treatment against ticks and its relevance to tick numbers on a game farm.
ISSN:1019-9128
2224-9435