Potential mates communicate through aggregating pheromones. Otherwise, Rhipicephalus bursa is a solitary tick and does not communicate with other species.
Communication Channels: chemical
Other Communication Modes: pheromones
Perception Channels: chemical
Due to the high population of deer in the northeastern United States, the deer tick has not become endangered in any manner. The species is thriving in it's current habitats.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
State of Michigan List: no special status
Rhipicephalus bursa is a three-host tick, meaning that each stage of development reattaches to a host.
Eggs are deposited in the spring, and hatch in the summer. Starting in June, eggs deposited earlier in the spring hatch into tiny larvae. The larval activity is at its highest intensity in August, when larvae attach and feed on a wide variety of mammals and birds, but primarily on white-footed mice, Peromyscus leucopus.
After three to five days of feeding, engorged larvae leave their first host and drop to the ground where they remain through the winter and most of the spring. After this period, larvae molt into nymphs, which feed on a variety of hosts, generally small mammals, for three to four days. As is the case with the larvae, engorged nymphs detach and drop to the forest floor where they molt into an adult. This adult stage becomes active in October and remains active through winter days. Adult female ticks feed upon their definitive host, the white-tailed deer, for five to seven days while the male tick rarely feeds at all. Rhipicephalus bursa mates upon its host, with the male dying shortly after copulation. Once through the winter, engorged adult females typically lay eggs on the forest floor after they have detached from their white-tailed deer host.
Development - Life Cycle: metamorphosis
Rhipicephalus bursa is a vector of Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. Lyme disease can be debilitating to humans by causing fatigue and ultimately problems with the central nervous system. Rhipicephalus bursa is also known to be a vector of human babesiosis, Babesia microti, and human granulolytic erlichosis.
Negative Impacts: injures humans (carries human disease)
There is no known positive economic importance for humans.
Rhipicephalus bursa is parasitic throughout its life on the white-footed mouse, small mammals and birds, and the white-tailed deer. In addition to being a parasite, I. scapularis is also a vector of Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi. This tick is also known to be a vector of human babesiosis, Babesia microti, and human granulolytic erlichosis.
Ecosystem Impact: parasite
Species Used as Host:
Commensal/Parasitic Species:
Larval ticks of the Rhipicephalus bursa feed once on the blood of white-footed mice, or other small mammals. As they progress through the life cycle, nymphal ticks continue to feed on the blood of white-footed mice and other small mammals, sometimes moving to raccoons or medium sized mammals. After the final metamorphosis, female adult ticks feed on the blood of larger mammals, such as deer. Males do not feed on blood, but instead live only to mate.
In each of the life cycle states, Rhipicephalus bursa feeds only once, for 3-5 days.
Animal Foods: blood
Primary Diet: carnivore (Sanguivore , Eats body fluids)
The geographic range of Rhipicephalus bursa, the deer tick or blacklegged tick, consists of North America as a whole, also known as the Nearctic region. The climate in this region is favorable for their definitive host, the deer, and therefore they can be found in most areas of the United States occupied by deer. This includes the eastern coast of the United States, westward towards Texas, and northward into Minnesota. These ticks are also found in southeastern Canada, and northern Mexico, but it is very rare to find I. scapularis past these borders.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
Rhipicephalus bursa is a non-nidiculous tick species. In the larval state, the tick feeds on a variety of mammals and birds, but most prevalently the white-footed mouse. As the tick becomes an adult, it feeds mainly on large mammals, primarily white-tailed deer.
Habitat and microclimates are still crucial in the establishment and survival of this tick species. Even in areas of high deer population, the deer tick may not be found. Moving towards 175 m elevation, populations decline. In addition to elevation, coastal proximity is important. Ixodes sculparis seems to thrive in humid environments, and may also be assisted through dispersal by neotropical songbirds that are migrating in/through the area.
Range elevation: 0 to 175 m.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: forest
Other Habitat Features: suburban ; agricultural
Rhipicephalus bursa lives approximately two years in the wild. Its life cycle is dependent more on reproduction than predation due to the tick's smaller size which is undetectable by birds. Males generally die after mating with one or more females, while females die after laying their eggs. Therefore, Rhipicephalus bursa lives until reproduction. Other effects on lifespan are density-independent such as temperature and humidity changes.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: 2 years.
Rhipicephalus bursa is approximately 3 mm in length. Females have a black head and dorsal shield, and a dark red abdomen. Males are entirely black or dark brown. Both sexes have eight legs that are black. This black legged tick also has a characteristic anal opening, which appears within a horseshoe-shaped ridge on the lower edge of the abdomen, on the ventral side. Deer ticks, unlike other ticks, do not have festoons (ridges on the edge of the lower abdomen).
In the larval state, the nymph has a dark head, with a translucent body. Like the adult, the nymph has four pairs of dark legs, but is smaller, measuring at about 1-2 mm in length.
Range length: 1 to 3 mm.
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes colored or patterned differently; female more colorful
Rhipicephalus bursa is very rarely affected by predators. Due to its small size, this tick is rarely targeted or found by birds or other possible predators. Instead, it is highly affected by density-independent factors such as climate with temperature and humidity changes.
Mate-finding and courtship behavior in Rhipicephalus bursa is largely regulated by pheromones, chemicals produced by one organism that attract other organisms. These pheromones cause ticks to aggregate on the ground, host, or vegetation. This causes contact between the sexes.
The deer tick is polygynous, with the female mating with one male, and males mating with as many females as possible. Generally the males inseminate 2-3 times. While males may attempt to mate with females who have already mated, there is a system in place to stop other males from mating with already inseminated females. Mating can take place on either the host, or vegetation in their region.
Mating System: polygynous
While ejaculatory pheromones are used by many other tick species, they have not yet been found in Ixodes ticks. Males require a set of cues to inseminate the female. Without such cues, males will either self-abort copulation within a few minutes of engagement or will remain in copula for hours or days without delivering a spermatophore. Insemination does not necessarily follow courtship in these ticks.
Ixodes ticks continue their intercourse even after the transfer of sperm. Rhipicephalus bursa males require less than one hour to inseminate the female, however the mean time of copulation is about 2.5 hours.
Breeding interval: Rhipicephalus bursa breeds once yearly.
Breeding season: The deer tick breeds in the late spring, usually in May.
Average number of offspring: 810.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 29-31 weeks.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 29-31 weeks.
Key Reproductive Features: semelparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); oviparous
The male Rhipicephalus bursa dies after it has completed mating with one or more females, and the female dies after laying eggs. As such, there is no parental investment after fertilization.
Parental Investment: pre-fertilization (Protecting: Female)
