Ixodes dammini (Acari: Ixodidae) and other ixodid ticks collected from white-tailed deer in New Jersey, USA. I. Geographical distribution and its relation to selected environmental and physical factors.

Abstract

As part of continuing studies of Lyme Disease (LD), 567 White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were surveyed during opening day of 3 hunting seasons in New Jersey during 1981 to obtain information on the geographic distribution of ticks in the state. Ixodes dammini occurred throughout central and southern New Jersey. Amblyomma americanum occurred primarily in southeastern New Jersey. Dermacentor albipictus was observed throughout central and northern New Jersey but was absent from the southern portion of the state. To explain the variability in the ranges of I. dammini and D. albipictus, geographical distribution data were summarized by deer management zones and regressed against 25 environmental and physical factors. Elevation, shown to be closely associated with physiographic regions in New Jersey, explained 88.31% of the variability seen in the distribution of I. dammini. Physical and environmental data were pooled by physiographic region and subjected to analysis of variance. Significant differences were observed between higher northern physiographic regions and those of lower elevation in central and southern New Jersey with respect to the presence or absence of I. dammini. The importance of elevation, its association with physiographic region, and their combined influence on I. dammini distribution is discussed.