Tick diversity, abundance and seasonal dynamics in a resource-poor urban environment in the Free State Province

The objectives of this study were to determine the diversity, seasonal dyna mics and abundance of ticks infesting cattle in urban, small-scale farming communities in and around Botshabelo and Thaba Nchu in the eastern Free Sta te Province, South Africa. A total of ten cattle, ear-tagged for individual identification, were investigated monthly at each of five localities. Adul t ticks were removed from the right hand side of each animal and placed in containers filled with 70% ethanol. They were subsequently identified and t heir numbers quantified. Immature Otobius megnini were counted but not remo ved. A total of 244 538 adult ticks of ten different species were collected over the 12-month study period. The tick species, in decreasing order of r elative abundance, were: Boophilus decoloratus (87,26 %), Rhipicephalus eve rtsi evertsi (6,86 %), Hyalomma marginatum rufipes (2,42 %), Otobius megnin i (1,85%) Rhipicephalus follis (0,76%), Rhipicephalus gertrudae (0,54%), Rh ipicephalus sp. (0,21 %), Ixodes rubicundus (0,08 %), Hyalomma truncatum (0 ,01 %) and Margaropus winthemi (0,004%). The three most abundant species, n amely B. decoloratus, R. evertsi evertsi and H. marginatum rufipes, occurre d at all localities but with significant differences in abundance. M. winth emi ticks occurred only in the Thaba Nchu area and were not found at any of the three localities in Botshabelo. Significant differences in tick burden s between the six warm months (September to February) and the six cooler mo nths (March to August) were found for most of the species recorded. Boophil us decoloratus occurred in significantly higher numbers in autumn (March to May) and winter (June to August) compared to spring (September to November ) and summer (December to February), with 76,8 % of the total B. decoloratu s burden occurring during the cooler months.