Water Balance in the Lone Star Tick (Acarina: Ixodidae): the Effects of Relative Humidity and Temperature on Weight Changes and Total Water Content1

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Abstract
Desiccated, unengorged adult lone star ticks, Amblyomma americanum (L.), increased in weight when exposed to high relative humidities. The observed weight changes were temperature dependent. After exposure for 24 hr at 95% RH, the maximum increase for both males and females occurred at 25°C within the temperature range of 5–45°C used in the experiments. Little weight change took place at 5 and 45°C. Conversely, fully engorged females did not significantly increase in weight under any of the experimental conditions of temperature and humidity. At low humidities, the weight lost by unengorged ticks increased as the temperature was raised. Replete females exhibited a marked ability to resist desiccation at both high temperatures and low humidities. No significant amount of dry weight reserves were converted to metabolic water by unfed adults to replace water lost via transpiration during 24 and 48 hr of desiccation at 0% RH. The significance of these phenomena in the overall salt and water balance and its influence on behavior of the lone star tick is discussed.

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