Tick species diversity, seasonality and feeding behavior in small wild mammals in the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains, China.

ABSTRACT: Small wild mammals are major carriers of ticks in the field, yet their tick-carrying status in China remains inadequately studied. To access tick infestations on small mammals, we collected 1908 ticks from 267 rodents, 27 hedgehogs and 4 hog badgers in the northern foot of Dabie Mountain, China. We identified five tick species including: Haemaphysalis hystricis, H. flava, H. longicornis, Ixodes granulatus, and Amblyomma testudinarium. Notably, this represents the first recorded occurrence of H. hystricis, I. granulatus, and A. testudinarium in the study region, expanding their known geographical distribution, which can serve as evidence of its expansion towards the north China. The tick species exhibited distinct seasonal activ

SUBMITTER: Fu Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12703963 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature