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The distribution and climbing behaviour of Rhipicephalus appendiculatus Neumann on grass stems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 April 2017

J. W. Chiera
J. W. Chiera
Affiliation:
The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), P.O. Box 30772, Nairobi, Kenya
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Abstract

The distribution of Rhipicephalus appendiculatus on Setaria sphacelata flowerheads was investigated. Adult tick counts in a paddock, heavily infested with ticks for experimental purposes, revealed an aggregated distribution by deviating significantly from the expected Poisson distribution, but producing a good fit to the expected negative binomial distribution. A higher proportion of the ticks were on old dry flowerheads than on young green ones. Tests carried out in the laboratory confirmed the marked preference for old flowerheads and the aggregated pattern of distribution. The tick counts in the field revealed no sexual aggregation, though the total number of females collected was significantly higher than that of the males.

Keywords

Distributionclimbing behaviourgrass flowerheadsaggregationS. sphacelataR. appendiculatus
Type
Research Articles
Information
International Journal of Tropical Insect Science , Volume 6 , Issue 2 , April 1985 , pp. 213 - 215
Copyright
Copyright © ICIPE 1985

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References

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