Internal and external mycoflora of the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis (Acari: Ixodidae), and its ecological implications.

Scopulariopsis brevicaulis, the anamorph of Microascus brevicaulis (Microascaceae, Ascomycota), has been identified in the body contents of the tick Dermacentor variabilis. After topical application of the fungal inoculum, tick mortality was marked. This is the first account describing the internal mycoflora of D. variabilis with a novel technique used to recover potential biological control agents.