Surveys for ticks on wildlife hosts and in the environment at Asian longhorned tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis)-positive sites in Virginia and New Jersey, 2018.

Haemaphysalis longicornis, the Asian longhorned tick (ALT), is native to eastern Asia, but it has become invasive in several countries, including Australia, New Zealand and recently in the eastern United States (US). To identify wild mammal and avian host species in the US, we conducted active wildlife surveillance in two states with known ALT infestations (Virginia and New Jersey). In addition, we conducted environmental surveys in both states. These surveillance efforts resulted in detection of 51 ALT-infested individuals from seven wildlife species, including raccoon (Procyon lotor), Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), woodchuck (Marmota monax), eastern cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus), striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We found ALT in the environment in both states and also collected three native tick species (Amblyomma americanum, Dermacentor variablis and Ixodes scapularis) that are vectors of pathogens of public health and veterinary importance. This study provides important specific information on the wildlife host range of ALT in the US.

Phylogeography and demographic history of Amblyomma variegatum (Fabricius) (Acari: Ixodidae), the tropical bont tick.

The genetic diversity of Amblyomma variegatum (Fabricius) from four Caribbean islands and five African countries was compared by analyzing the sequences of three gene fragments, two mitochondrial (12SrDNA and D-Loop-DL), and one nuclear (intergenic transcribed spacer 2 [ITS2]). Genetic variability of the ITS2 DNA fragment consisted of only uninformative single nucleotide mutations, and therefore this gene was excluded from further analyses. Mitochondrial gene divergences among African populations and between Caribbean and African populations were very low. Nevertheless, the data suggest that A. variegatum is divided into distinct East and West African groups, the western group including all Caribbean samples. Phylogenetic analyses of the 12SrDNA and DL gene sequences showed that the West African A. variegatum clustered in a well-supported monophyletic clade, distinct from eastern paraphyletic lineages. Sequences of A. variegatum from the Caribbean were embedded in the West African clade, which supports the known West African historical origin for these ticks.

Amblyomma triste (Acari: Ixodidae): new North American collection records, including the first from the United States.

New distribution records for the Neotropical tick, Amblyomma triste Koch, are identified from 27 specimens in 18 separate collections. These collections originated from six now recognized geographical foci in two states in the United States (Cochise and Santa Cruz Counties, Arizona, and Brewster and Jeff Davis Counties, Texas) and from import cattle, Bos taurus L., presented for entry at the United States border and originating in three Mexican states (Coahuila, Durango, and Sonora). For at least 67 yr, A. triste has existed in some areas of the United States as a cryptic species, and specimens there have been confused with and identified as Gulf Coast ticks, Amblyomma maculatum Koch, even by noted tick specialists. Most of the records reported in this study were from reidentified, archived specimens of putative A. maculatum.