Seasonal succession of ticks in small wild animals in Chengmai county of Hainan province

Objective To examine the seasonal fluctuation of ticks in small wild animals in Chengmai county,Hainan province.Methods Ticks were collected from the body surface of small wild animals.Results From April 2009 to March 2010,totally 8 species of hosts were caught and all the ticks collected from these hosts were Ixodes granulatus with the totall parasitic index and rate of 2.57 and 38.98%(118/303),respectively.The peaks of the index were observed in April for total index and adult vector parasitic rate.While the peaks for larvae and nymphs(1.83 and 3.33)were observed in November and January.The highest value of total parasitic rate was in April(76.19%).Peaks of parasitic index and rate for Tupaia belangeri and Niviventer fulvescens were all in April,while two peaks for Rattus rattus hainanicus were recorded in April 2009 and January 2010.Parasitic index and rate of Tupaia belangeri was highest among the hosts(7.64 and 69.57%).Conclusion Ticks in Chengmai area are of seasonality with the most active month in April.The fittest host for I.granulatus is Tupaia belangeri.