Reptile Host Associations of in Florida and Implications for spp. Ecology.

Host associations of the tick vector for Lyme Borreliosis, , differ across its geographic range. In Florida, the primary competent mammalian host of Lyme disease is not present but instead has other small mammals and herpetofauna that can utilize. We investigated host-tick association for lizards, the abundance of ticks on lizards and the prevalence of (). To determine which lizard species associates with, we examined 11 native lizard species from historical herpetological specimens. We found that (294/5828) of the specimens had attached ticks. The most infested species were skinks (241/1228) and glass lizards (25/572). These species were then targeted at six field sites across Florida and sampled from June to September 2020, using drift fence arrays, cover boards and fishing. We captured 125 lizards and collected 233 immature . DNA was extracted from ticks and lizard tissue samples, followed by PCR testing for spp. Of the captured lizards, 69/125 were infested with immature . We did not detect spp. from tick or lizard tissue samples. Overall, we found that lizards are commonly infested with . However, we did not detect . These findings add to a growing body of evidence that lizards are poor reservoir species.