Relationship of the Occurrence and Function of 2,6-Dichlorophenol in Two Species of Amblyomma (Acari: Ixodidae)1

Female Amblyomma americanum (Linnaeus) and A. maculatum Koch ticks contained approximately equal and maximum amounts of 2,6-dichlorophenol at 16 days after emergence. A. maculatum males also contained substantial amounts of the compound, but only traces of the chemical were detected in A. americanum males. There appeared to be no increase in the 2,6-dichlorophenol content of feeding ticks. Only male ticks of both species were attracted to local applications of the phenol. No behavioral response was observed in A. maculatum females to explain the presence of 2,6-dichlorophenol in males of this species or elucidate other investigators' observations on the aggregation of the sexes of this tick on hosts.