Biology:Ornithodoros madagascariensis
| Ornithodoros madagascariensis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Ixodida |
| Family: | Argasidae |
| Genus: | Ornithodoros |
| Subgenus: | Reticulinasus |
| Species: | O. madagascariensis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ornithodoros madagascariensis Hoogstraal, 1962
| |
Ornithodoros madagascariensis is a "soft tick" (family Argasidae) that parasitizes cave-inhabiting fruit bats in the genus Megachiroptera.[1] First circumscribed in 1962 by Harry Hoogstraal, it is classified in the subgenus Reticulinasus.[1]
When engorged with the blood of their host, the larvae of O. madagascariensis measure slightly over 1.0 mm from the apex of the anterior hypostome to the posterior body margin.[1] In the larval stage, O. madagascariensis and other members of the subgenus Reticulinasus are characterized by a reticulated Haller's organ, and in the adult stage by small size; piriform shape; absence of eyes, cheeks, a distinct hood and dorsal tarsal humps; and mammillated integument.[1] All stages have pulvilli that are unusually large for Ornithodoros ticks.[1] O. madagascariensis larvae have a heartshaped squamous area on the medial dorsal surface.[1] Their short hypostome resembles that of O. rennellensis, but the two species differ in other criteria.[1]
Distribution
Ornithodoros madagascariensis appears to be limited to the island of Madagascar . Other members of the subgenus have been collected in Malaya, Mindanao, Borneo, the Solomon Islands, Timor, India , Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, and the Congo River region of Africa.[1]
References
Wikidata ☰ Q51883619 entry
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