Dermacentor parumapertus

Distribution

This western hard tick species may be found at lower elevations in parts of Texas (west of the 100th meridian), and throughout the states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California. It is also found in southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon, and northwestern states of Mexico. Morphometric analyses suggest that populations of D. parumapertus in the USA comprise more than a single species.

Hosts

Hosts are primarily rabbits, hares and other rodents especially for immature stages, but adults have also been found on mule deer and coyote. Hunters and field biologists are most likely to encounter this species through contact with wildlife, especially rabbits. It has been reported to bite humans.

Vector Status

Because of its nearly exclusive association with rabbits and hares, it is a probable vector of the agent of Tularemia.  A spotted fever group agent, Rickettsia parkeri, was also isolated from this tick in Texas and in Mexico. It is known to bite humans.

Resources

H Joel Hutcheson, James W Mertins, Boris C Kondratieff, Monica M White, Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases of Colorado, Including New State Records for Argas radiatus (Ixodida: Argasidae) and Ixodes brunneus (Ixodida: Ixodidae), Journal of Medical Entomology, tjaa232, https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjaa232

Guzmán-Cornejo C, Robbins RG, Guglielmone AA, Montiel-Parra G, Rivas G, Pérez TM (2016) The Dermacentor (Acari, Ixodida, Ixodidae) of Mexico: hosts, geographical distribution and new records. ZooKeys 569: 1-22. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.569.7221