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ABSTRACT
The feeding behavior of Ornithodorus tholozani and O. moubata was compared using various diets, membranes, and feeding conditions. The modified Baudruche membrane and the silicone membrane were found to be the best. The optimal feeding response was obtained at 35 °C. The addition of fresh rabbit ear wax increased the speed of tick attachment and increased the percentage of feeding response, but had little effect on the size of the ingested meal. The attachment time of both tick species was positively correlated to the stimulatory level of the diet. When blood was fed through the membrane, the attachment speed, feeding response, and meal size were significantly higher than for all other diets. Compounds tested were diluted in saline containing physiological concentrations of glucose and sodium bicarbonate. Glutathione at 10−3M was mildly stimulating for O. tholozani but seemed to inhibit the feeding of O. moubata. Glucose at 1 mg/ml acted as an independent phagostimulant for O. moubata. O. moubata attached to any warm liquid, but actual feeding occurred at significantly lower percentages. O. tholozani did not usually attach without feeding. The major difference between the two species is the fact that O. tholozani seldom feed on diets which do not contain red blood components, gluthione, or ATP, thus securing a high concentration of hemoglobin in their natural diet, while O. moubata often feed on diets lacking indications of protein.