Abstract
The average meal weight (MW), unfed body weight (UBW), and total heme weight (THW) were determined for each of the 7 instars of nymphs (N1-N7) and for adults (♂, ♀) emerging from N4 (N4-♂, N4-♀) and N5 (N5-♂, N5-♀) of Omithodoros (O.) savignyi. The relationships between UBW (mg) and each MW (mg) and THW (μg) before and after feeding were also determined for these developmental stages. The UBW increase reflects exponential growth during N development and a greater growth during N-♀ than during N-N or N-♂ development. N5-♀ were only 20% heavier than N4-♀ N4-♂ and N5-♂ did not differ in UBW. The MW/BW ratio for N1-N7 and ♀ was almost constant within the range of 2.21-3.63 and 3× greater than that for ♂. The ♂-producing N and the N-producing N ingested less blood than ♀-producing N, as indicated by comparing THW in unfed ticks with THW of the preceding fed N stage. The relationship between the THW/UBW ratio of the fed N and that of the unfed following N instar or adult stage indicated tissue weight increase by a factor of 2.4–3.2 during each developmental period; this increase suggests efficient blood meal utilization for tissue growth. The UBW and THW data characterizing fed and unfed N1-N3 and the THW data for fed N7 and N4-adults and N5-adults appear to be useful parameters for detennining the exact instar of field-collected specimens intended for biomedical and epidemiological investigations.
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