Dr. Murai Éva - Gubányi András szerk.: Parasitologia Hungarica 29-30. (Budapest, 1997)

MATERIALS AND METHODS In the period 1989 through 1990, the tick fauna was surveyed on a total of 5,695 domestic animals of different species. The majority of the examined animals were sheep (n = 3,502), followed by cattle (n = 1,700) and finally goats (n - 303). Ticks were collected from March till the end of October. The collection and processing of ticks and the identification of tick species have been described in earlier papers (Milutinovié et al. 1987, Micevió et al. 1989). A systematic investigation of the ticks was carried out at 12 places of West Serbia (the areas of Titovo Uice, Bajina Bata, Priboj and Prijepolje; Fig. 1). Ecological investigations of ticks in West Serbia included the evaluation of the following parameters: faunistic composition, relative abundance, sex ratio, and the effects of environmental factors (temperature, relative air humidity and precipitation) on tick populations. Data on the monthly average temperature, relative air humidity and precipitation for the period 1989 through 1990 were obtained from the Weather Bureau of the Republic of Serbia. RESULTS The collected specimens - a total of 3,340 - were adult males and females. All the ticks belonged to the Ixodidae family. Analysis of the relative abundance of the species detected in West Serbia revealed the following: the species Ixodes ricinus accounted for 40.48% and 17.80% of the total in 1989 and 1990, respectively. In 1989 the species Haemaphysalis sulcata came immediately after Ixodes ricinus with an abundance of 25.60%>, but it was absolutely dominant in 1990 (41.85%). The abundance of Haemaphysalis punctata was 14.22% in 1989 and 15.89% in 1990. This was followed by Dermacentor marginatus with an abundance of 12.65%) to 14.28%). The minimal abundance of Haemaphysalis inermis, Dermacentor pictus, Rhipicephalus bursa and Rhipicephalus sanguineus was between 0.36%> and 3.79% and the maximal between 0.42% and 5.53%>. Therefore, based on the relative abundance of the eight species in the period 1989 through 1990 it could be noted that the most abundant tick species were Haemaphysalis sulcata, Ixodes ricinus, Haemaphysalis punctata and Dermacentor marginatus (Table 1).