NYMPHAL SURVIVAL AND HABITAT DISTRIBUTION OF IXODES-SCAPULARIS AND AMBLYOMMA-AMERICANUM TICKS (ACARI, IXODIDAE) ON FIRE ISLAND, NEW-YORK, USA

The distribution and survival of bodes scapularis and Amblyomma americ anum were studied in deciduous and coniferous wooded habitats and in o pen habitats on Fire Island, New York, USA. The survival of nymphal I. scapularis in field enclosures was greater in forests than in open ha bitats, suggesting that greater survival contributes to the higher tic k population in the woods. The nymphs of each species were more common in deciduous thickets (predominantly Aronia arbutifolia and Vaccinium corymbosum) than in coniferous woods (mostly Pinus rigida) in most bu t not all years. Larval I. scapularis were more common in coniferous s ites in 1994, while the same ticks, as nymphs, were more common in dec iduous sites in 1995. The survival of the nymphs was not consistently greater in either the deciduous or coniferous woods. Therefore, factor s other than nymphal survival (e.g. larval overwintering survival and tick movement on hosts) probably influenced the relative nymph abundan ce in different forest types. Overall, the survival of A. americanum w as far higher than that of I. scapularis.