Tick Species (Acari: Ixodoidea) Distribution, Seasonality and Host Associations in Romania

By integrating the literature data with those derived from personal investigations, the authors present the distribution of the 27 tick species (25 ixodids and 2 argasids) identified up to now in Romania, as well as some aspects regarding their abundance, seasonality and host associations. Altogether, 1439 tick records (of which 256, covering 25 counties, belong to the authors themselves) were georeferenced using EpiMap (an ArcView -compatible GIS) from CDC's EpiInfo software package (v. 3.5.1), on a level 2 LAU (Local Administrative Units) shapefile. The resultant distribution maps and the data on seasonality and host associations may prove to be a useful reference system for subsequent studies on different tick species' distribution, ecology and biology, as well as a predictive tool for human and veterinary medicine, bearing in mind the vectorial role that ticks play in some dangerous diseases for man and livestock.