IXODID TICKS FROM PANTHERS AND BOBCATS IN FLORIDA

Ixodid ticks were present in all 189 samples examined from 53 Florida panthers (Felis concolor coryi, 104 collections) and 85 bobcats (Felis rufus floridana) in Florida (USA) between 1974 and 1991. We identified 3,251 ticks from panthers and 918 from bobcats. Specimens of Dermacentor variabilis, Ixodes scapularis, I. affinis, Amblyomma maculatum, and A. americanum were present on 49, 39, 17, seven, and two of the 53 Florida panthers, respectively, and comprised 36%, 55%, 7%, 1%, and <1% of the 3,251 ticks collected from panthers. Ixodes scapularis, D. variabilis, and I. affinis were present on 61, 56, and 11 of the 85 bobcats respectively, and comprised 58%, 39%, and 2% of the 919 ticks collected. Amblyomma americanum and A. maculatum were found infrequently and comprised <1% of the total ticks collected from bobcats. Only adult ticks were found on the cats, except for one D. variabilis nymph and three A. americanum nymphs that were found on bobcats.