Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) in Kansas: a new distribution record

The blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say, previously known to occur only in the extreme southeastern corner of Kansas, has been collected in Douglas and Jefferson counties in the northeast. The new collections extend the northern range of this species in Kansas by approximately 240 km. The role of I. scapularis as a vector of the Lyme borreliosis spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi, makes this a noteworthy extension of its known range. The proximity of these new collection sites to large centers of human population is of special significance to health-care providers in that region.