Tick species diversity, seasonality and feeding behavior in small wild mammals in the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains, China

Small wild mammals are major carriers of ticks in the field, yet their tick-carrying status in China remains inadequately studied. To access tick infestations on small mammals, we collected 1908 ticks from 267 rodents, 27 hedgehogs and 4 hog badgers in the northern foot of Dabie Mountain, China. We identified five tick species including: <i>Haemaphysalis hystricis</i>, <i>H. flava</i>, <i>H</i>. <i>longicornis</i>, <i>Ixodes granulatus</i>, and <i>Amblyomma testudinarium</i>. Notably, this represents the first recorded occurrence of <i>H. hystricis</i>, <i>I. granulatus</i>, and <i>A. testudinarium</i> in the study region, expanding their known geographical distribution, which can serve as evidence of its expansion towards the north China. The tick species exhibited distinct seasonal activity patterns: Adult <i>H</i>. <i>hystricis</i> demonstrated activity from June to August (July peak), the larval and nymphal were present from March through December, peaking in October and September separately. For <i>H. flava</i>, adults were found from April to September (August peak), while nymphs were recorded in May, July, and September (September peak), and Larvae were detected exclusively in July. Adult <i>H. longicornis</i> peaked in July (May-September). Adult <i>I. granulatus</i> were present from June to October (June peak), and nymphal appeared in March, October, and November (November peak), with larval restricted to March and November. The nymphal of <i>A. testudinarium</i> were collected during June and August (August peak). Ticks showed clear host preferences: The larvae and nymphs of <i>H. hystricis</i> exclusively infested rodents (particularly <i>Niviventer</i> and <i>Rattus</i>), while adults primarily parasitized hog badgers. Both <i>H. longicornis</i> and <i>H. flava</i> infested mainly burdens on hedgehogs. Moreover, the <i>I. granulatus</i>, and <i>A. testudinarium</i> only in rodents and hedgehogs separately. The study reminds us that ticks may be more widely distributed in Chinese wildlife, therefore, more attention needs to be paid to ticks on wild animals in the future.