Ticks are parasitic arachnids that are part of the mite superorder Parasitiformes. Adult ticks are approximately 3 to 5 mm in length depending on age, sex, species, and "fullness". Ticks are external parasites, living by feeding on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians. The timing of the origin of ticks is uncertain, though the oldest known tick fossils are from the Cretaceous period, around 100 million years old. Ticks are widely distributed around the world, especially in warm, humid climates.
The Ixodidae are the family of hard ticks or scale ticks, one of the three families of ticks, consisting of over 700 species. They are known as 'hard ticks' because they have a scutum or hard shield, which the other big family of ticks, the 'soft ticks' (Argasidae), lack. They are ectoparasites of a wide range of host species, and some are vectors of pathogens that can cause human disease.
The Argasidae are the family of soft ticks, one of the three families of ticks. The family contains 193 species, although the composition of the genera is less certain, and more study is needed before the genera can become stable. The currently accepted genera are Antricola, Argas, Nothoaspis, Ornithodoros, and Otobius. The Argasidae are very common in South Asia, along with 96 other species of ticks, making South Asia the region with the highest biodiversity of ticks worldwide. Soft ticks are resistant to desiccation and can live for several years in arid conditions.
Ixodes is a genus of hard-bodied ticks. It includes important disease vectors of animals and humans, and some species inject toxins that can cause paralysis. Some ticks in this genus may transmit the pathogenic bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi responsible for causing Lyme disease. Additional organisms that may be transmitted by Ixodes are parasites from the genus Babesia, which cause babesiosis, and bacteria from the related genus Anaplasma, which cause anaplasmosis.
Carios erraticus, formerly called Ornithodoros erraticus, is a species of tick in the family Argasidae. The tick was described by Hippolyte Lucas in 1849.
Ornithodoros is a genus in the soft-bodied tick family, Argasidae.
Ornithodoros moubata, commonly known as the African hut tampan or the eyeless tampan, is a species of tick in the family Argasidae. It is an ectoparasite and vector of relapsing fever in humans, and African swine fever in pigs.
Antricola is a genus of tick containing 16 species. It is very similar to the genus Nothoaspis, which contains the species Nothoaspis reddelli.
Argas keiransi is a species of argasid tick in the subgenus Persicargus that parasitizes the chimango, a falconid bird of prey found in the Sub-Antarctic biogeographical region; the type species was collected in Chillán, Chile. The species name honors the scientific contributions of James E. Keirans. A. keiransi is similar to, but morphologically distinct from, Argas giganteus Kohls & Clifford, 1968.
Antricola marginatus is a species of tick in the family Argasidae. Like Nothoaspis, another genus in the same family, Antricola species infest cave-dwelling bats; A. marginatus is found on Cuba and Puerto Rico. Unusually for a tick, A. marginatus shows maternal care of its offspring.
Nothoaspis reddelli, also known as Carios reddelli, is a tick that feeds on the ghost-faced bat.
Ornithodoros savignyi, known as sand tampan, African eyed tampan or Kalahari sand tampan, is one of some 37 species in the genus Ornithodoros and is a soft tick with a leathery, mammillated integument, causing paralysis and tampan toxicosis, two unrelated conditions. The sand tampan is an ectoparasite on humans, their livestock and wild animals, including birds and bats. Occurring in semi-desert areas of Africa, Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Persian Gulf, India, Sri Lanka and into Asia, it is able to survive for lengthy periods without feeding, spending most of its life burrowed under sand or loose soil, often in wait for animals that rest or sleep under trees or in the lee of rocks, but also in places where people or their animals congregate such as marketplaces, places of worship, cattle kraals and village squares. The timing of its activity is geared to coincide with that of potential hosts, but hot sunny conditions are usually avoided. Because of its habit of feeding and dropping from its host, adult dispersal is limited, whereas larvae may remain attached to their hosts for several days. During its life cycle it will feed on multiple hosts between moults.
Nothoapis is a genus in the soft-bodied tick family, Argasidae. It is very similar to those of the genus Antricola. The genus's origin is Nothoaspis reddelli, which is the only tick species with a false shield on the anterior half of its body, propagating both a new genus and a new species.
Antricola delacruzi is a species of soft shell ticks in the family Argasidae. Like Nothoaspis, another genus in the same family, Antricola species infest cave-dwelling bats. A. delacruzi exclusively parasites insectivorous cave-dwelling bats of the Pteronotus genus, and are only parasitic in larva form, and are non-parasitic as adults. In both adult and larva form the primary food source appears to be bat guano, although the exact component of the guano that is consumed remains unclear. They are indigenous to the Brazilian rain forest.
Antricola inexpectata is a species of soft shell ticks in the family Argasidae. Like Nothoaspis, another genus in the same family, Antricola species infest cave-dwelling bats. A. inexpectata parasites insectivorous cave-dwelling bats of the Pteronotus genus, and are only parasitic in larva form, and are non-parasitic as adults. A. inexpectata is closely related to Antricola delacruzi and Antricola guglielmonei. In both adult and larva form the primary food source appears to be bat guano, although the exact component of the guano that is consumed remains unclear. They are all indigenous to the Brazilian rain forest.
Amblyomma albopictum is a species of tropical hard ticks. It is typically found parasitizing Cyclura nubila, Chilabothrus angulifer, Cubophis cantherigerus, Leiocephalus carinatus, and less commonly the Paraguaian hairy dwarf porcupine. The species has been found in Costa Rica, Cuba, Haiti, Honduras and the Dominican Republic, and has also been reported but not confirmed in Brazil. The tick was described by Louis Georges Neumann in 1899.
Ornithodoros brasiliensis is a species of tick in the family Argasidae, or soft-bodied ticks, that occurs exclusively in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. O. brasiliensis is a known parasite of humans, dogs, and smaller mammals such as armadillos and skunks.
Ornithodoros coriaceus, the Pajahuello or Pajahuello tick, is a tick that feeds on the blood of mammals and birds. It is widely distributed throughout western North America from southern Mexico to Oregon. Although this species rarely bites humans its bite is considered to be particularly painful. It is the primary vector of the bacterium that causes Epizootic Bovine Abortion, a severe and commercially-important disease afflicting domestic cattle.
Maria Tonelli-Rondelli was an Italian entomologist who studied the taxonomy and identification of ticks (Ixodidae), especially South American species.
