Location: Cattle Fever Tick Research Unit
Project Number: 3094-32000-042-055-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 18, 2021
End Date: Jun 13, 2023
Objective:
The objective of this research is to conduct field collections of 3-host tick nymphs in Australia (native range of cattle fever ticks) and return them to the laboratory for rearing. Engorged tick nymphs will collected and held for emergence of Ixodiphagus tick parasitoids. Adult tick parasitoids will be shipped to the the Cattle Fever Tick Research Laboratory, Edinburg, TX for evaluation.
Approach:
The cattle fever tick, Rhipicephalus microplus is a exotic and invasive livestock pest in Texas and Australia is part of its native range in Australasia. As part of the parent project we are searching for beneficial parasitoid insects for classical biological control of cattle fever ticks where they are invasive in Texas along the transboundary region with Mexico. Tick parasitoids in the genus Ixodiphagus (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) are known to attack tick species in the environment where they have co-evolved. In Australia, Rhipicephalus australis / microplus are native and occur in the same environment with other three-host ticks species such as Ixodes ricinus. The tick parasitoid, Ixodiphagus hookeri was collected from tick nymphs in Southeast Queensland (Doube & Heath 1975). This parasitoid develops in and emerges from fully engorged tick nymphs. Our approach is to collect unfed nymphs of I. holocylus from this region, engorge them on cattle at our cooperator's facility in Gatton, QLD and then isolate the tick at ABCL Brisbane, QLD for emergence of the parasitoid adult. Adult parasitoids will be shipped to the Cattle Fever Tick Research Laboratory, Edinburg, TX for evaluation. The field and laboratory work will take place from early spring to spring of 2021 (Oct-Dec) in Australia.
