Scientific publications

The taiga tick, Ixodes persulcatus (Schulze, 1930), is one of the most widespread and numerous members of the Ixodidae family in the Palaearctic. The aim of this study was to estimate the total number of Ixodes persulcatus larvae and nymphs feeding on small mammals in the mosaic landscapes of southern Karelia, Russia. Surveys were carried out near a field research station of the Institute of Biology KarRC RAS (Karelia, Vlg. Gomselga, 62.0684 N, 33.9593 E) in an area of 16 sq. km. A total of 2027 small mammal individuals were examined, 1452 larvae and 308 nymphs of I. persulcatus were collected in the period from 2012 through 2023. The species composition of small mammals in the study area is represented by 9 species. The samples were dominated by the common shrew (Sorex araneus) and the bank vole (Myodes glareolus). The bank vole is the main meal source for taiga tick larvae and nymphs: during the study period in general, 77% of the species larvae and 92% of nymphs were collected from M. glareolus. Mean multiannual abundances of small mammals and the rates of their infection by ixodid ticks were calculated for five months (May, June, July, August, September). Linear and power regressions were applied to compute the number of larvae and nymphs on the animals on each day of this period. The calculations show that an average of 656 larvae and 146 nymphs of Ixodes persulcatus feed on small mammals in each hectare of the study area per season. These numbers indicate the generally relatively low abundance of I. persulcatus in Karelia, on the northern periphery of the species range, compared to South Siberian and Far Eastern regions.