Ixodes Dammini (Acari: Ixodidae) and Associated Ixodid Ticks in South-Central Connecticut, USA1

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Abstract
Nine thousand ticks of 9 species were collected from 22 species of wild mammals in south-central Connecticut. The majority of ticks were Ixodes dammini and Dermacentor variabilis. The principal hosts of I. dammini were Peromyscus leucopus, Tamias striatus, and Odocoileus virginianus. D. variabilis was most abundant on P. leucopus, Microtus pennsylvanicus, and Procyon lotor. Immature I. dammini were most abundant in the late seral stages of forest development. Immature D. variabilis were most abundant in the early seral stages. The distribution of I. dammini was influenced by a coastal climatic gradient. The abundance of D. variabilis was inversely related to that of I. dammini. Larval I. dammini were most abundant in the late summer and fall, nymphs in the summer, and adults in the spring and fall. All stages of D. variabilis were most abundant in the spring and summer.