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

Analysis of the percentage of males and females in the eight detected species of ticks in different years of the research revealed the following. In the most numerous species, Haemaphysalis sulcata, males accounted for 71.06% and 65.58% while females for 28.94%» and 34.42% in 1989 and 1990, respectively. Females were predominant in Ixodes ricinus and Haemaphysalis punctata in 1989 (65.63% and 79.24%, respectively) and in 1990 (57.86%) and 64.79%o, respectively) (Table 3). Table 3 Percentage and number of females and males within tick species Tick species 1989 1990 F M F M Ixodes ricinus 65.63 (441) 34.37 (231) 57.86 (126) 42.14 (173) Haemaphysalis sulcata 28.94 (123) 71.06 (302) 34.42 (242) 65.58 (461) Haemaphysalis punctata 79.24 (187) 20.76 (49) 64.79 (173) 35.21 (94) Haemaphysalis inermis 83.33 (5) 16.67 (1) 100.00 (8) Rhipicephalus bursa 38.10 (24) 61.90 (39) 27.96 (26) 72.04 (67) Rhipicephalus sanguineus 69.23 (27) 30.77 (12) 77.77 (49) 22.23 (14) Dermacentor marginatus 65.24 (137) 34.76 (73) 66.25 (159) 33.75 (81) Dermacentor pictus 66.66 (6) 33.34 (3) 28.57 (2) 71.43 (5) F: females; M: males DISCUSSION In Serbia the fauna of Ixodidae comprises 6 genera (Ixodes, Dermacentor, Haemaphysalis, Rhipicephalus, Boophilus and Hyaloma) and 14 species. In the investigated regions of West Serbia, eight tick species were detected, namely: Ixodes ricinus, Haemaphysalis sulcata, Haemaphysalis punctata, Haemaphysalis inermis, Dermacentor marginatus, Dermacentor pictus, Rhipicephalus bursa and Rhipicephalus sanguineus. The species /. ricinus is predominant in the material originating from Serbia. Moreover, this species is one of the most widely distributed in Yugoslavia. As regards the abundance, /. ricinus took the first place in 1986 and 1987 (26.62%o and 26.58%, respectively) and the third place in the period 1984 through 1990 (14.21%) in East and Southeast Serbia (Milutinovic et al. 1995). As for the area of Northeast Serbia, Milutinovié et al. (1987) presented data on the absolute predominance of the species /. ricinus (98.99%), while in West Serbia that species took the first place in 1989 (40.48%) and the second place in the years 1989 and 1990. The population dynamics of /. ricinus is known for its two annual peaks, occurring in the spring and in the autumn. That tick species has two generations maturing every year. When ticks were first observed in the spring (in March), daytime temperatures were around 6-7 °C, so these conditions represented the starting point for their activity. In the investigated area the