Deer Ked Infestation on White-Tailed Deer in East Texas

Abstract

A study on the infestation of parasitic deer keds ( Diptera-Hippoboscidae ) on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) was conducted in East Texas. Deer keds, identified as Lipoptena mazamae, were collected in 17 out of 17 counties sampled. Known distribution was increased by 16 counties. Infestation on 20 dead deer in November varied from 10 to 196, with an average of 63 keds per deer. A buck and a doe in Nacogdoches County had 2,331 and 2,294 live keds, respectively, in June 1968; 28 keds were taken from a fawn in Williamson County. Indications are that nonwinged adult keds can be transferred from the doe to the fawn. The sex ratio of the keds did not differ significantly from 50:50. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 37(2): 83-786 Parasitic flies (Diptera-Hippoboscidae), commonly called ticks, lice, tick flies7 and deer flies ( but more correctly referred to as louse flies, keds, and deer keds), infest the deer of North America. These small, flat flies are responsible for causing anemia and nzechanical damage and transmit blood parasites and other microorganisms ( Bequaert 1953). Four species of keds normally occur on deer of North America. Lipoptena cervi is found on white-tailed deer in the northeastern United States. In northwestern and northeentral United States and Canada, Lipoptena depressa occurs on black-tailed deer ( Odocoileus hemionus columbianus); and on the west coast it and Neolipoptena ferrisi are found on 0. h. hemionus. Lipoptena mazamae is found from South Carolina to Texas on white-tailed deer ( Bequaert 1953 ) . A1though the life history and taxonomy of these flies have been studied extensively, little is knorn about density and frequency of ked infestation on deer, especially on white-tailed deer in East Texas. The primary objectives of this study were (1) to collect deer keds throughout East 1 This paper is based on a M.F. Thesis in Wildlife Habitat Management completed under a Graduate Assistantship, School of Forestry, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas 75961. 2Present address: P. O. Box 544, Williams, Arizona 86046. Texas for taxonomic confirmation and to determine species diversity and (2) to determine the density of ked infestation on white-tailed deer in East Texas. Appreciation is expressed to Drs. E. Hastings, R. D. Baker, H. Wiant and E. D. Michael of Stephen F. Austin State University, for guidance and assistance; Dr. J. Bequaert, Department of Entomology, University of Arizona, for taxonomic confirmation; Research Biologists L. K. Halls and Dr. H. Short, Southern Forest Experiment Station, Nacogdoches, Texas, for advice and the use of research facilities; and C. E. Boyd and other Wildlife Biologists of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, for collecting keds in their areas. METHODS AND MATERIALS Field collections were made in Angelina, Brazos, Cherokee, Houston, Nacogdoches, Trinity, and Tyler counties during the 1967 deer hunting season. Samples for taxonomic confirmation and species diversity and distribution were taken by combing an index area 12 inches wide and 18 inches long on the side of a freshly killed deer with an Ace 410 louse comb. Each deer combed was considered as a separate sample. Total counts were made on dead and live deer in the second sample. Total counts on dead deer were made in November 1967 on J. Wildl. Manage. 37(2):1973 1 8 3 This content downloaded from 157.55.39.153 on Mon, 19 Sep 2016 05:13:39 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 184 DEER KED INFESTATION IN TEXAS * Davis the Cherokee Wildlife Management Area in Cherokee County and on the Alabama Creek Area in Trinity County where the Texas Parks and Wildlife DepartmeTst was conducting controlled deer hunts. Two total counts on dead deer were also made in Houston County. Deer on which total counts were made had to be warm (no temperature was taken) and the keds and ticks had to be intact ( not attempting to leave the host) . I knew from previous experience that as the deer body temperature decreased, the keds moved to the walmer parts and when the entire deer had cooled, the keds clustered on the ends of the hairs before leaving the host. Total counts were made in June 1968 on a live buck and doe both 4.5 years old. The deer were penned in a l-acre enclosure at Stephen F. Austin University Experimental Forest. Keds were removed by combing them into a 9x ll-inch enamel pan and were then taken to the laboratory, counted, and identified. The combing was repeated the next day to determine if any nonwinged keds remained. A total count was also made in June on a fawn captured in Williamson County. Data were collected to show the relative frequency and degree of deer ked infestation on fawns in Brazos, Grimes, and Williamson counties, Texas, in June 1967 while the author was an employee of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Fawns were caught, tagged, and released in the Department's fawn-tagging program. As fawns were captured, infestation with keds was estimated as none, light (140 keds), moderate (51-100 keds), or heavy (over 100 keds ) . Keds were found by ruffling the deer hair by hand. A total of 6,594 deer keds were removed from 58 white-tailed deer in 17 East Texas counties. All keds were identified as L. mazamae. Previous distribution reports for this species were restricted to Central and South Texas except for a single reporting in Angelina County by Bequaert ( 1942 ) . Bequaert ( 1942, 1957 ) listed 13 counties where this species has been reported, and Eads ( 1949 ) reported 4 additional counties. The presently known distribution has beer increased by 16 counties as a result of my study. New counties being reported are Bell, Brazos, Cass, Cherokee, Grimes, Harrison, Houston, Jack, Nacogdochesn Palo Pinto, Robertson, Stephens, Trinity, Tyler) Williamson, and Young. Total counts of keds were made on eight dead deer in Cherokee County, 10 in Trinity County) and two in Houston County and on two live deer in Nacogdoches County and one in Williamson Countyall in East Texas (Table 1). Ill Cherokee County, four dead does, ranging ila age from 05 to 7.5 years had an average count of 22 keds per deer and four bucksv 2.5 to 6.5 yearsn had an average of 36 keds per deer. Ten bucks in Trinity County, ranging in age from 1.S to 6.S years, averaged 91 keds per deer, and two bucks in Houston County, both 2.S years of agev averaged 8S.5 keds. The number of keds taken from dead bucks was not significantly different between counties ( t = 0.25S, df 13, P 0.01 ) . Total counts of 2,331? and 2,294 keds were made in Nacogdoches County on a live buck and a live doe, both 4.5 years of age (Table 1). When keds were collected from the two deer the next day, 11 winged adults were removed from the buck and 8 from the doe. Apparently these winged keds attacked the deer between the two sample periods. Twenty-eight wingless adult keds were removed from a doe fawn in Williamson County. The fawn was less than 2 hours old and was still wet from birth. The keds were on the hair and had not yet attacked the host. Thirty-six fawns were examined J. Wildl. Manage. 37 ( 2 ): 1973 This content downloaded from 157.55.39.153 on Mon, 19 Sep 2016 05:13:39 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms Table 1. Infestation density of deer keds on white-tailed deer from five counties in East Texus, 1967-1968. DEER NUMBER MVNTH Age Weightb OF COUNTY COLLECTEDa Sex ( years ) ( pounds ) KEDS Cherokee November F 7.5 74 36