Natural History Collections: Hard Ticks

Sculptures by Phyllis Bone

THE TICK COLLECTION

INTRODUCTION

IMPORTANCE OF TICKS

HARD TICKS

SOFT TICKS

HISTORY OF COLLECTION

HARD TICKS

Hard ticks have a hard shiny scutum - like a shield - on the dorsal surface. The scutum covers most of the dorsal surface of the male. It is much smaller in the female allowing her to expand enormously as she feeds and becomes engorged with blood. The mouthparts of hard ticks can be viewed from above.

Examples of species of hard ticks in the collection:

Amblyomma
Aponomma
Dermacentor
Haemaphysalis
Hyalomma
Ixodes
Margaropus
Rhipicephalus (Boophilus)*
Rhipicephalus

* The genus Boophilus has now been reclassified as a subgenus of the genus Rhipicephalus (see Horak et al 2002).

1. Genus Amblyomma (20 species)
A. darwini: Galapagos Islands, iguana.
A. hebraeum: Botswana, ox.
A. variegatum: Gambia, sheep.
A. testudinarium: Borneo, wild boar.

Amblyomma variegatum - Male

Amblyomma variegatum - Female

2. Genus Aponomma
Ap. auruginans: Australia, Vombatus hirsutus (wombat).
Ap. exornatum: Africa, Varanus sp.
Ap. fimbriatum: New Guinea, monitor.
Ap. concolor: Australia, Tachyglossus aculeatus (echidna).

Aponomma auruginans - Male

Aponomma auruginans - Female

Aponomma concolor - Male

3. Genus Dermacentor (10 species)
D. albipictus: Canada, colt.
D. auratus: Borneo, wild pig.
D. marginatum: Afghanistan, sheep.
D. nitens: Colombia, horse.
D. reticulatus: France, dog.

Dermacentor andersoni - Female

4. Genus Haemaphysalis (26 species)
H. bispinosa: India, ox.
H. calcarata: East Africa, ground squirrel, Xerus rutilis.
H. cornigera: Thailand, ox.
H. houyi: Ghana, ground squirrel, Euxerus erythropus.

Haemaphysalis punctata - Male

Haemaphysalis punctata - Male (ventral)

Haemaphysalis punctata - Female

5. Genus Hyalomma (16 species)
H. anatolicum: Kuwait, camel.
H. detritum: Tunis, ox.
H. dromedarii: Jordan, camel.
H. truncatum: Zambia, roan antelope.

Hyalomma dromedarii - Male	Hyalomma dromedarii - Male (ventral)
Hyalomma dromedarii - Female	Hyalomma dromedarii - Fed Female

6. Genus Ixodes (22 species)
I. aulacodi: Ghana, cane-rat.
I. caledonicus: Scotland, pigeon-cote.
I. ricinus: Scotland, ox.
I. uriae: Macquarie Islands, penguin.

Ixodes ricinus - Complete Life Cycle (right)

Ixodes ricinus - Fed Female

7. Genus Margaropus (2 species)
M. winthemi: South Africa, abattoir.

Margaropus winthemi - Male

Margaropus winthemi - Male (ventral)

Margaropus winthemi - Female

8. Genus Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) (5 species)
R. (B.) decoloratus: Zimbabwe, ox.
R. (B.) kohlsi: Israel, goat.
R. (B.) microplus: Sri Lanka, ox.

Rhipicephalus (B.) microplus - Male (left) and Female (right)

Rhipicephalus (B.) microplus - Fed Female

9. Genus Rhipicephalus (30 species)
R. appendiculatus: Zambia, bush-pig.
R. bursa: Azerbaijan, sheep.
R. maculatum: Zambia, rhinoceros.
R. simpsoni: Ghana, giant rat.
R. sanguineus: New Guinea, dog.
R. turanicum: Afghanistan, sheep.

Rhipicephalus appendiculatus - Fed Female (left), Male (centre) and Female (right)

Rhipicephalus appendiculatus - Female Ovipositing

* Reference for nomenclature
The Ticks of the World (Acarida, Ixodida). Nomenclature, Described stages, Hosts, Distribution (Including new species described before 1/01/96) by J-L Camicas, J-P Hervy, F. Adam, P.C.Morel. Editions de l'Orstom, Paris 1998
Horak I G, Camicao J-L, *Keirans J E 2002. The Argasidae, Ixodidae and Nuttalliellidae (Acari: Ixodida): A world list of valid tick names. Experimental and Applied Acarology. 28, 27-54.

INTRODUCTION

IMPORTANCE OF TICKS

HISTORY OF COLLECTION

Copyright. The copyright to all material published here is held by the University of Edinburgh. Photographs by Richard Matthews and Alan Walker. Tick Web design by Richard Matthews.