Ticks

Definition of Ticks
(Scientific name: Ixodida)

From the elephant glossary Section: parasite

Relevant Literature about Ticks
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Ticks (order Ixodida) 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.

Ixodidae

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 big 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.

Amblyomma tholloni

Amblyomma tholloni, or "elephant tick" is a three-host tick whose Adults preferentially parasitize African elephants. Elephant population fragmentation appears to shape the genetic structure of A. tholloni, while agro-ecological factors could influence the genetic diversity of ticks.

Dermacentor circumguttatus

This African Species has been found only on elephants and on the grey duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia). The main hosts of these hard ticks are the African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) and the African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis).

Reference list Koehl, Dan, (2024). Ticks. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 20 September 2021 at https://www.elephant.se/index.php?id=242. (archived at the Wayback machine)

Sources used for this article is among others:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tick
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixodidae
Edward M King'ori, Vincent Obanda, Richard Nyamota, Susana Remesar, Patrick I Chiyo, Ramon Soriguer, Patrocinio Morrondo, Population genetic structure of the elephant tick Amblyomma tholloni from different elephant populations in Kenya, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35325688/

Selected publications

Edward M King'ori, Vincent Obanda, Richard Nyamota, Susana Remesar, Patrick I Chiyo, Ramon Soriguer, Patrocinio Morrondo, Population genetic structure of the elephant tick Amblyomma tholloni from different elephant populations in Kenya

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Categories glossary | parasite

About this documentThis document was created: 2022-03-26. Latest update: 2022-03-26 09:29:23 included 1388 characters with valid HTML5