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Exp Appl Acarol (2013) 59:493500 DOI 10.1007/s10493-012-9617-y
Miling Ma Guiquan Guan Ze Chen Zhijie Liu Aihong Liu
Huitian Gou Qiaoyun Ren Youquan Li Qingli Niu
Jifei Yang Hong Yin Jianxun Luo
Received: 24 April 2012 / Accepted: 12 September 2012 / Published online: 31 October 2012 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2012
Abstract The developmental stages in the life cycle of Haemaphysalis qinghaiensis were investigated under laboratory conditions. The larval, nymphal and adult ticks were fed on sheep at 2527 C, 50 % relative humidity (RH) and exposed to daylight. All free-living stages were maintained in an incubator (28 C with 90 % RH and a 12-h photoperiod). The whole life cycle of H. qinghaiensis was completed in an average of 176 days (range 118247 days). The average developmental periods were 34.44 days for egg incubation;5.83, 4.20 and 33.70 days for larval pre-feeding, feeding and pre-molting; and 3.88, 5.30 and 46.50 days for nymphal pre-feeding, feeding and pre-molting. The average times for pre-feeding, feeding, pre-oviposition and oviposition of female adult ticks were 2.60,11.40, 8.50, and 19.35 days, respectively. The results conrmed the positive correlation between the weight of the engorged female and the egg mass laid (r = 0.557, P \ 0.05).
The reproductive efciency index and reproductive tness index in females were 5.49 and4.98, respectively. Engorged nymphs moulting to females (4.53 0.16 mg) were significantly heavier (P \ 0.001) than those moulting to males (3.45 0.19 mg). The overall sex ratio of the adult ticks was 1:1.1 (M:F).
Keywords Haemaphysalis qinghaiensis Sheep Life cycle Laboratory conditions
Introduction
Haemaphysalis qinghaiensis, an ixodid tick species, is only recorded in China (Gao et al. 2007a, b, 2008, 2009; Li et al. 2007). It is particularly prevalent in the western plateau,
M. Ma G. Guan Z. Chen Z. Liu A. Liu H. Gou Q. Ren Y. Li Q. Niu
J. Yang H. Yin (&) J. Luo (&)
State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Etiological Biology, Key Lab of Grazing Animal Diseases MOA, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health of Ministry of Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Veterinary Parasitology of Gansu Province, Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academyof Agricultural Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, Chinae-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
J. Luoe-mail: [email protected]
The life cycle of Haemaphysalis qinghaiensis (Acari: Ixodidae) ticks under laboratory conditions
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