Drop-off Rhythms of Engorged Rabbit Ticks, Haemaphysalis Leporispalustris (Packard, 1896) (Acari: Ixodidae)

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Abstract
A definite rhythm of dropping off the host following engorgement is a part of the behavior of each of the 3 instars of the rabbit tick, HaemaPhysalis leporispalustris. Experiments done in the laboratory under controlled conditions revealed that as much as 90% of the total “drop-off” of larvae, nymphs, and adults occurred during the daytime in a 6-hr interval that ended 2 hr before the onset of darkness. The periodicity of drop-off is regulated primarily by a circadian rhythm of the ticks which is entrained by the daily light cycle. It appears that darkness plays the principal role in setting the phase of the rhythm. Experiments in which drop-off occurred in either constant light or darkness yielded evidence that the drop-off of ticks which had not been entrained by a light cycle could be influenced by some physiological rhythm of the lagomorph host.

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