New data on distribution of Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabr.) (Acari, Ixodidae) in Poland Sławomir Kadulski and Joanna N. Izdebska Laboratory of Parasitology and General Zoology, Department of Invertebrate Zoology, University of Gdańsk, Piłsudskiego 46, 81-378 Gdynia, Poland e-mail: biojni@ug.edu.pl Abstract Up till not long ago most Polish localities of Dermacentor reticulatus were from the north-eastern part of the country, therefore there was a hypothesis that the Vistula River was the western limit of the species distribution range. Nowadays several new localities were reported from the regions of the Baltic Coastland, Kashubian Lakeland, Tuchola Forest up to the Myśliborskie Lakeland, i.e. to the west from the Vistula River, indicating that D. reticulatus range is much larger. Introduction Up till not long ago Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) was a rare species of tick (Szymański 1967). First records of Dermacentor pictus (= reticulatus) were given by Obitz (1938). Later Dróżdż (1963, 1964) as well as Dróżdż and Szymański (1965) reported this tick from the Masurian Lakeland and the Kampinos Forest (Krzemiński 1968). In 1968 1972 during extensive studies on wild Artiodactyla in Poland, several new localities of D. reticulatus found on elk, deer and roe deer were recorded in the Masurian Lakeland, Podlasie, the Mazowiecka Lowland and Wielkopolsko-Kujawska Lowland (the eastern part) (Kadulski 1975). Later studies by Szymański (e.g., 1977, 1986) enabled to show in detail distribution range of D. reticulatus in the non-parasitic phase, particularly in the northern and eastern Poland. Kadulski (1989) and Siuda (1993) prepared a map (UTM grid) of Dermacentor reticulatus distribution in Poland; moreover it was found that the primary hosts were Cervidae, Alces alces in particular. Nowadays it is assumed that this tick is quite common in Poland, while it is the dominant species in the north-eastern part of the country (Bogdaszewska et al. 2006). Lately several papers on D. reticulatus were published, e.g. Bogdaszewska and Dróżdż (1997), Izdebska (e.g., 1998, 2001b, 2004, 2005), Buczek and. al. 2002, 53
Karbowiak et al. (2003), Bogdaszewska (2004, 2005), Siuda et al. (1997), Biaduń and Najda (2007). These studies reported new localities of the species on the eastern side of the Vistula River; some of them were as far to the south as Bieszczady (Siuda et al. 2007). Material and Methods The study was conducted in the Pomerania district (the West Pomeranian, Pomeranian voivodships and the northern part of the Kujawy-Pomeranian voivodship) in 2003-2008. The ticks were collected from vegetation either by the standard tick drag-flag method or they were caught with entomological scoop. Part of the material was collected from the hosts wild ungulates and rodents. Dermacentor reticulatus was collected from Cervus elaphus in the state wild-game animal purchasing agencies as well as just after hunting. The deer body surface was examined in strips every 5-7 cm, with particular attention to knee and elbow folds, anal region, neck and head. Rodents, which were collected for comprehensive parasitological research, were examined with a stereo microscope and their hair and skin were carefully studied; moreover small specimens of juvenile stages of ticks were also collected during studies on skin mites with the snippet digesting method (Kadulski and Izdebska 2006). Results First record of D. reticulatus in the Starogard Lakeland (the Pomeranian voivodship) should be noted. In September 2004 a few individuals were found near Ulkowy (Pszczółki municipality). These ticks were collected on the flag close to the clump of deciduous trees and pine forest. Next group of D. reticulatus was caught with entomological scoop on the meadow. In total 24 ticks were found there. In earlier years single ticks were collected from people s clothes (Fig.1). Second new locality was in the Kashubian Coastland. It was a meadow close to the coastal cliff in the nature reserve Dolina Chłapowska in the Coastal Landscape Park (Puck district). The ticks were caught with entomological scoop during the studies in this reserve in August and September 2005 and 2006. 15 females and 13 nymphs of D. reticulates were recorded; moreover two nymphs of this species were collected from the Sand Lizard (Fig.1). Next locality was discovered in the Tuchola Forest. In August 2007 during the faunistic research in the Wdecki Landscape Park four females of D. reticulates were recorded. The ticks were collected on the meadow with entomological scoop net in the valley of the Wda River. At the same time 3 specimens of D. reticulatus were found on the hunted deer C. elaphus. Following locality was recorded in the Brda Valley, where old growth of beech, pine and alder was by the river. One individual of this tick (female) was collected on the flag in spring 2007; next larva and nymph were found on the Yellow-necked Mouse Apodemus flavicollis (Fig.1). Collection of D. reticulatus at the same time and site on vegetation and the deer Cervus elaphus could indicate Artiodactyla as the hosts of these ticks. Moreover 9 individuals of ticks (3 males and 6 females, leg. K. Cydzik) were collected from a deer/doe in the Pomeranian Lakeland (the West Pomeranian voivodship) near Namyślin (Myśliborski district, Boleszkowice municipality) in autumn 2007 (Fig.1). 54
Discussion Dermacentor reticulatus is recorded from Spain and the United Kingdom through France, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia to Hungary, Romania and Moldova. Another distribution range covers area from the north-eastern part of Poland up to Siberia (Siuda 2002). Up till not long ago it was recorded in the southern and western part of Germany (e.g., Bauch and Danner 1988). Later D. reticulatus was also reported from the eastern part of the country, e.g. Branderburg and Berlin (e.g. Dautel et al. 2006). In Poland D. reticulatus has been already reported long ago from the northeastern part of the country both non-parasitic and parasitic stages were recorded on vegetation (e.g., Bogdaszewska 2004). Moreover D. reticulatus was frequently collected from the hunted Artiodactyla, e.g., wild boars, roe deer, fallow deer, sika deer and red deer C. elaphus or European bison (e.g., Kadulski 1996, 2000, Izdebska 1998, 2001a, 2001b, 2004, 2005). The ticks were often found on ungulates also in the western part of Poland. The fact that the ticks were recorded far from the Vistula River, that was assumed as the range limit of the species (Kadulski 1980), is well-documented due to comprehensive and intensive studies on the parasites of wild Artiodactyla in the Pomeranian Lakeland and Greater 55
Poland. Dermacentor reticulatus was collected from a roe deer hunted near Bawernica (Bytów district, the Pomeranian voivodship) the Pomeranian Lakeland (Kadulski, Kwiatkowska 2004). The Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus is a highly resident species, and its home range usually does not exceed several dozen of hectares (Pielowski 1988). Therefore it could be assumed that the record of the ticks Dermacentor reticulatus in the central part of Pomerania (the Pomeranian Lakeland) reflected occurrence of this species in the Pomeranian Lakeland especially that juvenile stadia were found on rodents and vegetation as well. Moreover records of Dermacentor reticulatus on other hosts in Pomerania, e.g. wild boar (Fryderyk 1998) or fallow deer (Kadulski, Szczurek 2004) also support the distribution range reaching far from the Vistula Valley. This is also supported by the records of this species near the German border. Lately D. reticulates were collected in Germany within large Berlin region, that is several hundred kilometres from the Polish border. D. reticulatus was also recorded in Barnim district (Branderburg) (Dautel et al. 2006), which borders on Myśliborski district, where these ticks were found near Namyślin. Taking into account that Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabr.) has been recorded earlier in the southern part of Poland, e.g. in Lesser Poland (Izdebska 2001a) or Lower Silesia (Fryderyk 2003), it should be assumed that the distribution range of this tick in Poland is much larger than that reported previously. Most probably the species has also expanded its range to the western and mainly to the northern part of Poland. References Bauch R.J., Danner G. 1988. Funde von Dermacentor reticulatus (Ixodida, Ixodidae) in den DDR Bezirken Leipzig und Halle. Angew. Parasitol. 29: 250-254. Biaduń W., Najda N. 2007. Jeleń Cervus elaphus jako żywiciel kleszcza łąkowego Dermacentor reticulatus w Polsce Środkowo-Wschodniej. Wiad. Parazytol. 53: 136. Bogdaszewska Z. 2004. Występowanie i ekologia kleszcza łąkowego Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) w ognisku mazurskim. Cz. I. Określenie obecnego zasięgu występowania. Wiad. Parazytol. 50: 727-730. Bogdaszewska Z. 2005. Występowanie i ekologia kleszcza łąkowego Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) w ognisku mazurskim. Cz. IV. Wyniki badań nad określeniem specyficzności żywicielskiej. Wiad. Parazytol. 51: 39-42. Bogdaszewska Z., Dróżdż J. 1997. Ognisko Dermacentor reticulatus podtrzymywane przez jelenie i daniele w hodowli fermowej (Kosewo, Polska). Wiad. Parazytol. 43: 207-212. Bogdaszewska Z., Karbowiak G., Siuda K. 2006. Występowanie i biologia kleszcza łąkowego Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) w północno-wschodniej Polsce. In. Buczek A., Błaszak. C. (eds.), Stawonogi. Znaczenie epidemiologiczne. Koliber, Lublin. 75-79. Buczek A., Buczek L., Kuśmierz A., Olszewski K., Jasik K. 2002. Ultrastructural investigations of Haller s organ in Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabr.) (Acari: Ixodida; Ixodidae). In: Bernini F., Nannelli R., Nuzzaci G., de Lillo E (eds.), Acarid Phylogeny and Evolution: Adaptation in Mites and Ticks. Kluwer Academic Publisher. Dordrecht, Boston, London: 227-231. Dautel H., Dippel C., Oehme R., Hartelt K., Schettler E. 2006. Evidence for an increased geografical of Dermacentor reticulatus in Germany and detec-tion of Rickettsia sp. RpA4. J. Med. Microbiol. 296: 149-156. Dróżdż J. 1963. Występowanie kleszczy z rodzaju Dermacetor w Polsce. Wiad. Parazytol. 9: 57-60. 56
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