Genus IXODES Latreille, 1795

 The genus Ixodes is the largest among ixodid ticks, and its members are widespread on all continents, even reaching beyond the polar circle. They have occupied various ecological niches, living in taiga, deserts, high on mountains, and on oceanic islands. Approximately 80% of these species parasitize mammals and 20% parasitize birds. Although the range of hosts of these ticks is extraordinarily wide (they parasitize shrews, deer, tapirs, bats, monkeys, platypus, albatrosses, and swifts), most species parasitize small mammals. This characteristic allows these ticks to exist on small islands where such hosts are the only option present. This is the only genus whose members (I. persulcatus, I. ricinus) can be very aggressive towards humans, and are vectors of extremely dangerous human diseases.

1. Ixodes abrocomae Lahille, 1916

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Chile.

Species was described from a single male collected on the chinchilla rat Abrocoma murayi in the Atacama Desert.

Literature: Gonzalez-Acuña and Guglielmone (2005), Guglielmone et al. (2003a).

Ixodes redikorzevi Olenev, 1927 – new synonym

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Europe: Portugal, Spain, Belgium, France, Guernsey Islands, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, and Ukraine; Russia (North Caucasus and Kalmykia); Africa: Morocco and Egypt (on migrant birds); Asia: Turkey, Israel, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan (north), Kazakhstan, Kirghizia, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Nepal.

All stages parasitize small mammals, including rodents, carnivores, and insectivores. It is a vector of tularemia.

Note: We have reported earlier (Kolonin, 1992) that I. redikorzevi is a synonym of I. acuminatus, based on comparisons of a female I. acuminatus from Italy with females of I. redikorzevi from the former USSR. Later, we received male and female I. acuminatus from Dr. E. Camus in France (Apodemus sylvaticus, 16 September 1974, no. RSM 5551). Study of these specimens confirmed our earlier reports and assumptions of other authors (Starkoff, 1958; Morel and Perez, 1977).

Literature: Filippova (1977), Fain and Lefevre (1987), Kolonin (1992b).

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India (Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, West Bengal and Assam), Nepal, Myanmar, northern Thailand, northern Vietnam (unpublished data), China (Tibet, Gansu, Hubei, Yunnan, and Taiwan), and Japan (Honshu).

Mountain forests.

Adults parasitize large and middle-sized wild and domestic mammals. Ticks occasionally attach to humans. Immature ticks feed on small mammals.

Literature: Tanskul et al. (1983), Teng and Jiang (1991).

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USA (Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina), Mexico (southern), Guatemala, Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, and Peru.

Adults parasitize deer and large carnivores, but immature ticks feed on small and middle-sized mammals. In Georgia (USA), adults are active from spring to autumn, larvae active from autumn to spring with a peak in winter, and nymphs are active from winter to summer with a peak in March.

Literature: Oliver et al. (1987), Robbins R.G. (1989), Guglielmone et al. (2003a).

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Madagascar.

All stages were found on the tenrec Nesogale talazaci, and three females were collected on the black rat Rattus rattus.

Literature: Uilenberg et al. (1979).

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 Africa: Zaire (eastern), Rwanda, Sudan (southern), Kenya, Tanzania, Lesotho, and the Republic of South Africa.

 Principal hosts of all stages are shrews, mainly Crocidura flavescens. Occasionally, this species parasitizes rodents and it rarely parasitizes hares. Apparently, parasitism is of the pasture type (ticks were collected on vegetation).

 Literature: Hoogstraal (1956), Arthur (1965), Elbl and Anastos (1966).

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Brazil (Minas Gerais, Goias, Paraiba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, and Ceara).

Females were mainly found on opossums Monodelphis domestica. Occasionally ticks were also found on rodents, mainly rice mice Oryzomys subflavus. Immature ticks feed on rodents and opossums.

Literature: Marcos et al. (1984), Barros-Battesti and Knysak (1999), Guglielmone et al. (2003a).