| Reticulinasus madagascariensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Ixodida |
| Family: | Argasidae |
| Genus: | Reticulinasus |
| Species: | R. madagascariensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Reticulinasus madagascariensis Hoogstraal, 1962 | |
Reticulinasus madagascariensis is a "soft tick" (family Argasidae) that parasitizes cave-inhabiting fruit bats in the genus Megachiroptera . [1] [2] First circumscribed in 1962 by Harry Hoogstraal, it is classified in the subgenus Reticulinasus. [2]
When engorged with the blood of their host, the larvae of R. madagascariensis measure slightly over 1.0 mm from the apex of the anterior hypostome to the posterior body margin. [2] In the larval stage, R. madagascariensis and other members of the subgenus Reticulinasus are characterized by a reticulated Haller's organ, and in the adult stage by small size; piriform shape; absence of eyes, cheeks, a distinct hood and dorsal tarsal humps; and mammillated integument. [2] All stages have pulvilli that are unusually large for Ornithodoros ticks. [2] R. madagascariensis larvae have a heartshaped squamous area on the medial dorsal surface. [2] Their short hypostome resembles that of O. rennellensis, but the two species differ in other criteria. [2]
