Ixodes ricinus

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Ixodes ricinus
Ixodes ricinus complete view (starved)
Close-up view (engorged)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Ixodida
Family: Ixodidae
Genus: Ixodes
Species:
I. ricinus
Binomial name
Ixodes ricinus
Range of I. ricinus (marked in red) in western Eurasia and North Africa

Ixodes ricinus, the castor bean tick, is a chiefly European species of hard-bodied tick. It may reach a length of 11 mm (0.43 in) when engorged with a blood meal, and can transmit both bacterial and viral pathogens such as the causative agents of Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis.

Description

Two females of Ixodes cf. ricinus filmed in a forest near Marburg, Hesse, Germany

In common with other species of

palpi are longer than they are wide, and an anal groove is above the anus. [1]
It has a hard dorsal shield which covers the entire opisthosoma (abdomen), but only part of it in females and nymphs.[2] I. ricinus is the largest of the three common species of Ixodes in the British Isles (the other two being I. canisuga, the British dog tick, and I. trianguliceps, the vole tick). Adult males are 2.4–2.8 mm (0.09–0.11 in) long, and unfed nymphs are 1.3–1.5 mm (0.05–0.06 in) long; females are 3.0–3.6 mm (0.12–0.14 in) long before feeding and 11 mm (0.43 in) long when engorged.[3]

Distribution

Ixodes ricinus is found across Europe and into neighbouring parts of North Africa and the Middle East, extending as far north as Iceland and as far east as parts of Russia.[3] Its northern limit seems to be determined by environmental factors, including temperature, since a series of mild winters in Scandinavia coincided with an expansion northwards in the range of I. ricinus.[4]

I. ricinus is most frequent in habitats where its hosts are plentiful, including

heaths and forests.[3] It is most prevalent in relatively humid areas, and is absent from much of the Mediterranean Region where summers are dry.[5]

Role of climate change

See also: Climate change and infectious diseases and Effects of climate change on livestock

As greenhouse gas emissions alter climatic conditions everywhere on Earth at a rapid rate, the range of conditions suitable for various species changes, and Ixodes ricinus is no exception. Some research expects it to become 5–7% more prevalent on livestock farms in Great Britain, depending on the severity of climate change scenario followed.[6]

Lifecycle

Ixodes ricinus has a three-host

grasses or twigs to seek their next host, but must return to the moist microclimate at the soil surface if they become dehydrated.[8] The nymphs feed on small to medium-sized mammals.[5]

Disease transmission

A number of

alpha-gal allergy.[10]

Natural enemies

The

parasitic wasp Ixodiphagus hookeri
lays its eggs inside castor bean ticks, though the castor bean tick is not I. hookeri's sole host.

Taxonomic history

The

junior synonyms and subsequent combinations into different genera; these synonyms include Acarus ricinoides, Cynorhaestes reduvius, Cynorhaestes ricinus, Ixodes megathyreus, Ixodes bipunctatus, Cynorhaestes hermanni, Crotonus ricinus, Ixodes trabeatus, Ixodes plumbeus, Ixodes reduvius, Ixodes pustularum, Ixodes fodiens, Ixodes rufus, Ixodes sulcatus and Ixodes sciuri.[12]

See also

References

  1. PDF
    )    . Antenna: Royal Entomological Society. 42 (2): 61–65.
  2. ISBN 978-0-7234-2960-9
    .
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Frank L. Ruedisueli & Brigitte Manship. "Background information: Ixodes ricinus". University of Lincoln. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  4. PMID 10656851
    .
  5. ^ a b "Ixodes ricinus: European Castor Bean Tick, Castor Bean Tick, Sheep Tick" (PDF). Iowa State University. September 2009.
  6. S2CID 252247062
    .
  7. ^ Mikula, P., Hromada, M., Koleničová, A., Pjenčák, P., Fulín, M., Olekšák, M., 2011. Prevalence of Ticks of birds in Slovak Karst. Folia oecologica presoviensis 5(4): 56-64.
  8. ISBN 978-1-4020-6242-1
    .
  9. PMID 29642819
    .
  10. PMID 32571129
    .
  11. ^ Glen M. Kohls (1957). "Acarina: Ixodoidea" (PDF). Insects of Micronesia. 3 (3): 85–104.
  12. doi:10.1017/S0021859600000447
    .

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ixodes_ricinus&oldid=1218406976"