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 major 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.
Ixodiphagus hookeri, the tick wasp, is an encyrtid wasp which lays its eggs into ticks. It seems to use a symbiotic bacteria, Wolbachia pipientis, to weaken the tick's immune system.
Rhipicephalus sanguineus, commonly called the brown dog tick, kennel tick, or pantropical dog tick, is a species of tick found worldwide, but more commonly in warmer climates. This species is unusual among ticks in that its entire lifecycle can be completed indoors. The brown dog tick is easily recognized by its reddish-brown color, elongated body shape, and hexagonal basis capituli. Adults are 2.28 to 3.18 mm in length and 1.11 to 1.68 mm in width. They do not have ornamentation on their backs.
Ixodes pacificus, the western black-legged tick, is a species of parasitic tick found on the western coast of North America. I. pacificus is a member of the Ixodidae (hard-bodied) family. It is the principal vector of Lyme disease in that region. I. pacificus typically feeds on lizards and small mammals therefore its rate of transmission of Lyme disease to humans is around 1% of adults. It is an ectoparasite that attaches itself to the outside of its host and feeds on the host's blood. It can have a heteroxenous lifestyle or monoxenous life cycle depending on how many hosts it feeds on in each cycle. I. pacificus has a four stage life cycle that takes around 3 years to complete. These stages include egg, larva, nymph, and adult. They prefer dense woodland habitats or areas of brush and tall grass.
Haemaphysalis concinna is a common rodent tick species that originally predominantly occurred in Russia and Eastern Europe, but is also known from Japan, China, Germany and France.
Haemaphysalis is a genus of ticks, containing these species:
Harry Hoogstraal was an American entomologist and parasitologist. He was described as "the greatest authority on ticks and tickborne diseases who ever lived." The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene's Harry Hoogstraal Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Medical Entomology honors his contributions to science.
Homo luzonensis, also locally called "Ubag" after a mythical caveman, is an extinct, possibly pygmy, species of archaic human from the Late Pleistocene of Luzon, the Philippines. Their remains, teeth and phalanges, are known only from Callao Cave in the northern part of the island dating to before 50,000 years ago. They were initially identified as belonging to modern humans in 2010, but in 2019, after the discovery of more specimens, they were placed into a new species based on the presence of a wide range of traits similar to modern humans as well as to Australopithecus and early Homo.
Ticks of domestic animals directly cause poor health and loss of production to their hosts. Ticks also transmit numerous kinds of viruses, bacteria, and protozoa between domestic animals. These microbes cause diseases which can be severely debilitating or fatal to domestic animals, and may also affect humans. Ticks are especially important to domestic animals in tropical and subtropical countries, where the warm climate enables many species to flourish. Also, the large populations of wild animals in warm countries provide a reservoir of ticks and infective microbes that spread to domestic animals. Farmers of livestock animals use many methods to control ticks, and related treatments are used to reduce infestation of companion animals.
Jane Brotherton Walker was a leading 20th century expert in the field of tick taxonomy, particularly in Africa.
Haemaphysalis leporispalustris, the rabbit tick, is a species of tick that is widely distributed in the Americas, stretching from Alaska to Argentina. H. leporispalustris is known to have one of the largest distributions for a tick originating in the New World. It is a three-host tick and a member of the family Ixodidae, commonly called the "hard ticks," and the genus Haemaphysalis. Its common hosts are rabbits, hares, and sometimes ground-feeding birds. H. leporispalustris has a rigid scutum and a prominent capitulum projecting forward from its body and is often said to look like the "wood tick". It has a hemimetabolic life cycle. H. leporispalustris does not play a prominent role in disease transmission in humans but is a vector for disease in other animals.
Gerald Augustus Harold Bedford was a British entomologist of the 20th century who specialised in ticks from South Africa.
Haemaphysalis bispinosa is a hard-bodied tick of the genus Haemaphysalis. It is found in India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Pakistan, Nepal, Australia, and Indonesia. It is an obligate ectoparasite of mammals. It is a potential vector of Kyasanur Forest disease virus. These ticks was found parasitized by a chalcid Hunterellus sagarensis in these diseased areas.
Haemaphysalis anomala is a hard-bodied tick of the family Ixodidae. It is found in India, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. It is an obligate ectoparasite of mammals.
Haemaphysalis hystricis, the East Asian mountain haemaphysalid, is a hard-bodied tick of the genus Haemaphysalis. It is found in India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Myanmar, China, Japan, India, Indonesia, Laos, Taiwan and Thailand. It is an obligate ectoparasite of mammals. It is a potential vector of Kyasanur Forest disease virus, Coxiella sp., Ehrlichia sp., and Rickettsia japonica. In 2007, an unknown trypanosoma species known as Trypanosoma KG1 isolate was isolated from naturally infected H. hystricis ticks.
The Cattle tick,, is a hard-bodied tick of the genus Rhipicephalus. It is also known as North American cattle tick, North American Texas fever tick, and Texas fever tick.
The zebra tick or yellow back tick is a species of hard tick. It is common in the Horn of Africa, with a habitat of the Rift Valley and eastward. It feeds upon a wide variety of species, including livestock, wild mammals, and humans, and can be a vector for various pathogens. The adult male has a distinctive black and ivory ornamentation on its scutum.
Haemaphysalis pospelovashtromae, Pospelova-Shtrom’s USSR mountain haemaphysalid, is an ixodid tick native to Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and the Republic of Georgia that parasitizes cattle and goats. The species epithet honors parasitologist Dr. Maria V. Pospelova-Shtrom.
