Some Unusual Distributional Records of Ticks in Utah

Abstract

In Edmund's (1951) check list of the ticks of Utah are records of certain ticks which represent unusual collections for this state. Kohls (1952) reported an unusual collection of Ixodes muris Bishopp and Smith. His specimens were taken from muskrats at Locomotive Springs in Northern Utah by a wildlife management student from the Utah State Agricultural College. For the past five and one-half years the author and his associates have conducted surveys of vector distribution related to Rocky Mountain spotted fever and plague in Utah. Many collections have been made of the several species of ticks found in the state during the progress of these vector studies. Among these collections are some new, unusual host and distributional records. Papers now in process of preparation will deal quite comprehensively with general studies of tick distribution. It is felt, however, that a separate report listing some of the more extreme examples of unusual occurrence would be timely.