Colonization and Life Cycle of Amblyomma Variegatum (Acari: Ixodidae) in the Laboratory in Puerto Rico

Abstract

Amblyomma variegatum, the tropical bont tick, was reared on rabbits and goats and held under standard laboratory conditions in Puerto Rico at 26 + 1 °C, 95 + 1% RH, and a 24-h light cycle with a 14-h photophase. Egg incubation took an average of 50.3 days. Molted larvae and nymphs first responded to human breath when about 4 and 3 days of age, respectively. Larvae fed an average 8.2 (range 6–13) days on rabbits and nymphs an average 6.3 (range 5–10) days on goats. The premolting periods averaged 17.7 (range 15–22) and 25.6 (range 19–28) days for larvae and nymphs, respectively. Males began molting from nymphs 1 day before the first female emerged. Males that had remained attached to goats for over 50 days before being forcibly removed and placed on a 2nd host readily reattached to the 2nd host and mated with new females. When unfed females were placed on goats at the same time as males, females fed to repletion in 11–16 days. Females placed on a host with fed males attached and fed to repletion in 8–13 days. Mating was not required for engorgement. When unengorged females were placed on goats without males, 18.7% fed to repletion in 11–21 days. The mean weight of engorged females was 2.94 g (range 1.83–4.64 g), engorged females laid an average of 1.2 g of eggs (range 0.01–2.37 g), and average percent hatch of eggs laid was 61.5 (range 0–95).