First description of the nymph and larva of Dermacentor raskemensis (Acari: Ixodidae), parasites of pikas and other small mammals in Central Asia

First record of Alectorobius coniceps (Ixodoidea: Argasidae) and Dermacentor sp. (Ixodoidea: Ixodidae) in Pakistan

Alectorobius species are soft ticks primarily infesting birds, such as swallows, while Dermacentor species are hard ticks mainly infesting mammals, such as small ruminants. This study for the first time reported on the morphological and molecular bases of two tick species, namely A. coniceps and a Dermacentor sp. in Pakistan. The former species was examined in swallows' nests in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, while the latter species was examined in small ruminants in Balochistan province. In total, 25 ticks were collected, with 14 ticks morphologically identified as A. coniceps (males = 9 and females = 5) and 11 ticks identified as Dermacentor sp. (males = 7 and females = 4). Following morphological identification, molecular identification was gained by obtaining 16S rDNA and cox1 sequences for these ticks. The BLAST results for the 16S rDNA and cox1 sequences from A. coniceps shared a maximum identity of 97.46% and 96.49% with the same species from Malta. The BLAST analysis of the 16S rDNA and cox1 sequences from Dermacentor sp. showed maximum identities of 98.42% and 97.45% with Dermacentor pavlovskyi from China. The phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rDNA and cox1 of A. coniceps showed a close evolutionary relationship with the same species. The case of Dermacentor sp., based on 16S DNA and cox1, indicated a close evolutionary relationship with Dermacentor pavlovskyi from China.

Rediscovery and first genetic description of some poorly known tick species: Haemaphysalis kopetdaghica Kerbabaev, 1962 and Dermacentor raskemensis Pomerantzev, 1946

This study aimed to provide novel information for some poorly known/rare tick species collected from wild goats (Capra aegagrus) in the mountains of Eastern Anatolia, Turkey and to expand upon the available genetic data. The collected ticks were morphologically identified as Haemaphysalis kopetdaghica (all active stages, n = 140), Dermacentor raskemensis (adults, n = 7), Ixodes gibbosus (adults, n = 15), Rhipicephalus kohlsi (female, n = 1), and R. bursa (nymphs, n = 2). A total of 32 engorged ticks (6 larvae, 6 nymphs, and 20 females) collected were allowed to molt to the next stage or for egg laying and larval hatching, respectively. In addition, one R. kohlsi female (previously confirmed by SEM microscopy) collected from a wild goat in the neighboring province of Erzurum was included in this study for further genetic comparison. The partial mitochondrial 16S rDNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (barcoding regions) genes of each tick species were sequenced. All DNA samples obtained from the ticks were checked by PCR for the presence of Anaplasma spp., Babesia spp., Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, spotted fever group rickettsiae, and Theileria spp., but were found to be negative. Phylogenetic analyses of the 16S rDNA and cox1 genes were performed using the ML method to determine their genetic relationship with related ticks. As a result, this study has: i) rediscovered and provided two new tick records (H. kopetdaghica and D. raskemensis) for Turkey, ii) provided the first genetic data for H. kopetdaghica and D. raskemensis and revealed their phylogenetic relationships, iii) characterized the cox1 region of I. gibbosus for the first time, and iv) revealed significant genetic diversity between R. kohlsi from Anatolia and R. kohlsi from Oman, suggesting that R. kohlsi could include a cryptic species.

Description and characterization of questing hard tick, Dermacentor steini (Acari: Ixodidae) in Malaysia based on phenotypic and genotypic traits

Identifying certain species of Dermacentor ticks in Malaysia is challenging as there is no comprehensive work on their systematics and lack of specific taxonomic keys. In this study, we described and characterized D. steini ticks collected from a forest reserve in the vicinity of the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia using integrated phenotypic and genotypic traits. In total two males and three females of questing D. steini ticks were morphologically identified using specific illustrated taxonomic keys based on their special characters. Further confirmation and characterization of the tick species were then examined using PCR, followed by sequencing partial mitochondrial 16S rDNA gene (mt-rrs). Clustering analysis based on mt-rrs was carried out by constructing neighbor-joining tree topology to clarify the genetic variation of local D. steini. Based on external morphological characterizations, all ticks were successfully identified down to the species as adult D. steini. The molecular traits based on phylogenetic tree provide very strong support for the monophyletic clade of D. steini including high percentages of similarity (97-100%) with available sequences in GenBank. Furthermore, a low intraspecific variation (4%) among the species of D. steini was observed but it was genetically different from other Dermacentor species with high interspecific value (8-15%). These findings produced the first genotypic data of D. steini using 16S rDNA gene which confirmed the presence of this species in Malaysia. Moreover, this study supports the taxonomic status of local D. steini and adds to the knowledge of accurate identification of ticks.