A Review of Ixodid Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Associated with Lacerta spp. (Reptilia: Lacertidae) from the Caucasus and Adjacent Territory

Abstract

Based on a literature review, as well as on our own data, 14 ixodid tick species belonging to 5 genera were registered for the lizard hosts of the genus Lacerta (L. agilis, L. media, and L. strigata) in the Caucasus and the adjacent territories: Haemaphysalis sulcata, Haem. punctata, Haem. parva, Haem. caucasica, Haem. concinna, Haem. inermis, Ixodes ricinus, I. redikorzevi, Dermacentor marginatus, D. reticulatus, Hyalomma marginatum, Rhipicephalus bursa, Rh. rossicum, and Rh. turanicum. Tick species Haem. caucasica were recorded from Armenia for the first time. Our findings of Haem. punctata represent the first record of this species for Chechnya, Ingushetia (Russia), Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Most of the parasite species are associated with L. agilis (13) and L. strigata (12); L. media is a host of 6 tick species. Data on the infestation of Lacerta spp. by four tick species from our material (I. ricinus, Haem. punctata, Haem. caucasica, and Hyal. marginatum) are presented in the article. In addition, our article contains information on the range of infections associated with the above tick species. Castor bean tick I. ricinus (236 specimens), the most represented species in our collection, parasitizes all available terrestrial vertebrates including humans and can be vector of many various pathogens, so our study provides significant epidemiological information.