Ticks

Ticks are parasitic arachnids of the order Ixodida. They are part of the mite superorder Parasitiformes. Adult ticks are approximately 3 to 5 mm in length depending on age, sex, and species, but can become larger when engorged. 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 around 100 million years old, and come from the Cretaceous period. 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 750 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.

The Argasidae are the family of soft ticks, one of the three families of extant ticks. The family contains 220 species, although the composition of the genera is less certain, and more study is needed before the taxonomy is resolved. The Argasidae are very common in South Asia, along with around 100 other species of ticks from other lineages, 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.

species of hard ticks

Argas is a genus of soft tick in the family Argasidae.

Ornithodoros is a genus in the soft-bodied tick family, Argasidae. It is distinguished from other genera in the family by the absence of a lateral 'suture' line. Ornithodoros ticks are parasitic associates of shelter-seeking vertebrates, such as mammals, birds and reptiles.

Hyalomma is a genus of hard-bodied ticks common in Asia, Europe, and North Africa. They are also found in Southern Africa. The name is derived from Greek: Hyalos (ὕαλος) crystal, glass; and omma (oμμα) eye. The genus is believed to have originated in Iran or Central Asia, and then spread further into Asia, including the Middle East, and to southern Europe and Africa.

Rhipicephalus is a genus of hard ticks in the family Ixodidae, consisting of about 90 species. While many species are native to tropical Africa, the genus is cosmopolitan, being found across the world. Several species are vectors of significant human and animal pathogens.

species of arachnid

Dermacentor is a genus of ticks in the family Ixodidae, the hard ticks. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with native species on all continents except Australia.

Haemaphysalis is a genus of hard ticks. It is the second largest genus in the family Ixodidae, after Ixodes, and the largest genus of the Metastriata. Haemaphysalis ticks are found on all continents and across all major zoogeographical regions, except Antarctica, although most species are found in the Oriental and Afrotropical regions. Approximately 80% of the species are present in Asia and Africa, with significantly less species diversity in Europe and the Americas. Haemaphysalis species primarily parasitise birds and mammals.

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

Margaropus is a genus of ticks. Found in Africa, the genus is known best from Giraffidae.

species of arachnid

sensory organ on ticks front legs

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

Otobius is a genus in the soft-bodied tick family, Argasidae. While similar to the genus Ornithodoros, it is characterized by a vestigial hypostome in adults, despite being developed in nymphs, in addition to the absence of both eyes and hood.

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

Antricola is a genus of soft ticks in the family Argasidae.

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

Deinocroton is an extinct genus of tick. It is known from four species found in Burmese amber, dating to the earliest part of the Cenomanian stage of the Late Cretaceous, around 99 million years ago.

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

Nuttalliella is genus of tick. It contains a single living species, Nuttalliella namaqua found in southern Africa, having been reported from Tanzania, Namibia and South Africa, with fossil species of the genus having been reported from the mid-Cretaceous (~100 million years ago) Burmese amber of Myanmar.' It is the only living member of the family Nuttalliellidae''', and the most primitive living lineage of tick. It can be distinguished from ixodid ticks and argasid ticks by a combination of characteristics including the position of the stigmata, lack of setae, strongly corrugated integument,

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of tick

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

Cosmiomma is a genus of ticks first discovered by Paul Schulze in 1919. It is monospecific, being represented by the single species Cosmiomma hippopotamensis. It was first described in 1843 by Henry Denny from specimens collected from a hippopotamus in Southern Africa, and has been called "one of the most unusual, beautiful, and rare tick species known to the world."

species of arachnid

species of arachnid

Carios is a genus of soft ticks belonging to the family Argasidae. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution.

species of arachnid