Biology:Rhipicephalus annulatus

Short description: Species of tick

Rhipicephalus annulatus
Scanning electron micrograph of a partially engorged female from Ghana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Arachnida
Subclass:	Acari
Superorder:	Parasitiformes
Order:	Ixodida
Family:	Ixodidae
Subfamily:	Rhipicephalinae
Genus:	Rhipicephalus
Species:	R. annulatus
Binomial name
Rhipicephalus annulatus (Say, 1821)
Synonyms
Boophilus annulatus Stiles & Hassall, 1901 Boophilus annulatus affinis Minning, 1934 Boophilus annulatus calcaratus Lahille, 1905 Boophilus balcanicus Minning, 1936 Boophilus bovis Curtice, 1891 Boophilus calcaratus Lahille, 1905 Boophilus calcaratus balcanicus Minning, 1934 Boophilus calcaratus calcaratus Minning, 1934 Boophilus calcaratus hispanicus Minning, 1935 Boophilus calcaratus palestinensis Minning, 1934 Boophilus calcaratus persicus Minning, 1936 Boophilus decoloratus calcaratus Alessandrini, 1917 Boophilus margaropus annulatus Giroud et al., 1963 Boophilus palestinensis Kishida, 1939 Boophilus persicus Kishida, 1939 Boophilus schulzei Minning, 1934 Boophilus (Boophilus) calcaratus balcanicus Minning, 1934 Boophilus (Boophilus) congolensis Minning, 1934 Haemaphysalis rosea Koch, 1844 Ixodes annulatus Say, 1821 Ixodes bovis Riley, 1869 Ixodes calcaratus Birula, 1894 Ixodes dugesi Mégnin, 1880 (misapplied name) Ixodes identatus Gamgee, 1897 Ixodes indentatus Gamgee, 1869 Margaropus annulatus Neumann, 1907 Margaropus annulatus annulatus Neumann, 1911 Margaropus annulatus calcaratus Newstead, Dutton & Todd, 1907 Margaropus annulatus dugesi Castellani & Chalmers, 1919 Margaropus bovis Manson, 1907 Margaropus calcaratus Castellani & Chalmers, 1910 Margaropus dugesi Castellani & Chalmers, 1910 Ornithodoros annulatus Grimaldi, 1934 (misapplied name) Rhipicephalus annulatus Neumann, 1897 Rhipicephalus annulatus calcarata Neumann, 1904 Rhipicephalus annulatus calcaratus Neumann, 1904 Rhipicephalus annulatus dugesi Neumann, 1901 Rhipicephalus bovis Galli-Valerio, 1901 Rhipicephalus calcaratus Birula, 1895 Rhipicephalus decoloratus calcaratus Velu, 1922 Rhipicephalus dugesi Neumann, 1896 Rhipicephalus rosea Salmon & Stiles, 1901 Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus Neumann, 1904

Rhipicephalus annulatus, the cattle tick, is a hard-bodied tick of the genus Rhipicephalus. It is also known as North American cattle tick, North American Texas fever tick, and Texas fever tick.

Distribution

It shows a cosmopolitan distribution in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is found in Eritrea, Albania, Algeria, Benin, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Congo, Cote D'Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Greece, Guam, Guinea, India , Israel, Jordan, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar , Mali, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria, Portugal, Sierra Leone, South Africa , Spain , Sri Lanka, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia, and Turkey.

Parasitism

It is an obligate ectoparasite of domestic mammals such as cattle, horse, sheep, dog. It is a potential vector of many babesiosis pathogens like Babesia bigemina, Babesia bovis, and Anaplasma marginale. Its ability to be a vector of babesiosis pathogens was discovered by Theobald Smith and Frederick L. Kilbourne.

Lifecycle

It shows a one-host lifecycle, where all larva, nymphs and adults lives in one host. After eggs hatched, larva crawl in vegetation and blown away with wind. After stick on to a host, larva found in softer parts of the body and then becomes nymph and then to adult after two molts. After sexually matured and mating, female detaches from the host and lay eggs on vegetation. Female dies after ovipositing. Adult has a hexagonal shaped scutum. Male has adanal shields and accessory shields. Anal groove is absent in female, but minute in male.

Control

Babesiasis is one of the major cattle devastating diseases throughout the world. It reduce the meat production, and dairy products as well. Quarantine is the major method of controlling ticks. Sanitation and frequent check for ticks also taken place. Preparations of Nigella sativa are a good method to control ticks.

Rhipicephalus annulatus annulatus male

References

Wikidata ☰ Q10652630 entry

External links

• Rhipicephalus annulatus Overview - Texas Fever Tick
• BOOPHILUS CATTLE TICKS: biology, prevention and control. Boophilus microplus, Rhipicephalus microplus
• Histoarchitecture of the Ovary of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus during Pre- and Postengorgement Period
• Identification and characterization of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus candidate protective antigens for the control of cattle tick infestations
• Identification of four novel Rhipicephalus annulatus upregulated salivary gland proteins as candidate vaccines.
• Distribution of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus and Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus (Acari: Ixodidae) infestations detected in the United States along the Texas/Mexico border.