A comparison of European deer keds (Diptera: Hippoboscidae: Lipoptena cervi (Linnaeus)) and blacklegged ticks (Ixodida: Ixodidae: Ixodes scapularis say) on elk (Cervus canadensis (Erxleben)) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus

Authors: SKVARLA, MICHAEL - Pennsylvania State University; Poh, Karen; NORMAN, CALVIN - Pennsylvania State University; STRUCKHOFF, DOLORES - Pennsylvania State University; MACHTINGER, ERIKA - Pennsylvania State University

Submitted to: Journal of the Entomological Society of Ontario
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/6/2023
Publication Date: 11/20/2023
Citation: Skvarla, M.J., Poh, K.C., Norman, C., Struckhoff, D.E., Machtinger, E. 2023. A comparison of European deer keds (Diptera: Hippoboscidae: Lipoptena cervi (Linnaeus)) and blacklegged ticks (Ixodida: Ixodidae: Ixodes scapularis say) on elk (Cervus canadensis (Erxleben)) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann, 1780)) in Pennsylvania. Journal of the Entomological Society of Ontario. 154. Article jeso2023004.

Interpretive Summary: Blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) and European deer keds (Lipoptena cervi) are common ectoparasites often found on cervids in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, including Pennsylvania. Blacklegged ticks are known to harbor and transmit many pathogens affect people and animals. Pathogens have also been detected in deer ked populations, however, it is unclear how deer keds are acquiring the pathogens and if they are competent vectors of these pathogens. One way to elucidate some of these factors is looking at the on-host distribution of ticks and deer keds. While many studies have focused on ectoparasite burdens of white-tailed deer, there have been very few studies that examine ectoparasite burdens on elk and if there are differences in tick and deer ked burdens between white-tailed deer and elk. Therefore, we sampled hunter-harvested white-tailed deer and elk for ticks and deer keds from Pennsylvania. By evaluating the relative distributions of ticks and deer keds on white-tailed deer and elk, we can begin to elucidate the potential role that deer keds and possibly elk may play in pathogen transmission dynamics, if any.

Technical Abstract: Blacklegged ticks, winter ticks, and European deer keds are common and abundant ectoparasites of cervids in the Northeast, including Pennsylvania. Previous studies have examined how these ectoparasites are distributed across the bodies of white-tailed deer and if they differentially partition their hosts. Elk are also present in Pennsylvania, but few studies have examined the ectoparasites present on them. In this study, we surveyed ticks and deer keds on elk and white-tailed deer in Pennsylvania to assess the relative abundance and on-host distribution of these ectoparasites and to compare these metrics between elk and deer.