This document discusses the identification and characteristics of various ticks and mites of veterinary importance. It identifies key genera of ticks, including Amblyoma, Hyalomma, Rhipicephalus, and Argas, as well as mites such as Psoroptes, Sarcoptes, Demodex, and Tunga penetrans. It describes their life cycles, medical significance as vectors of disease, and potential control methods. The conclusion is that the student successfully identified and explained the ticks and mites and their importance to animal and public health.

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The University of Zambia
School of veterinary medicine
Department of paraclinical studies
Name: Musalo Brian
Computer #: 10008047
Course code: VMP-4400
Lab: identification of ticks and mites
Attention: Mr.chota
Date: 10/03/14

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Title: identification of ticks and mites
Aim: To be able to identify the following organisms:
Parasitiformes (ticks)
 Suborder Ixodida: Amblyoma spp, Hyalomma spp, Rhipicephalus spp.
 Suborder Argasidae: Argas spp
Acariformes (mites)
 Suborder Astigmata: Psoroptes spp, Sarcoptes spp.
 Suborder Prostigmata: Demodex spp, Tunga penetrans
INTRODUCTION
Ticks and mites are organisms that are in the class Arachnida, subclass Acarina or Acari, order
Acariformes (mites) and Parasitiformes (ticks). These are different from insects in the way that
they have two divisions, which are cephalothorax, and abdomen; they four pairs of legs and they
have no wings.
The order Parasitiformes has the suborder Ixodida in which Ixodidae and Argasidae family
belong. All hard ticks, which are of veterinary importance, belong to this family while soft ticks
belong to Argasidae. Ixodidae family has the following characteristics: have a hard chitinous shield
or scutum that extends over the while dorsal (male) or much portion behind the head in the larvae,
nymph and female; the mouthparts are anterior and well visible from the dorsal aspect, Eyes when
present are situated on the lateral margin of the scutum (Monning H.O (1950). The genera ixodidae
contains:
Rhipicephalus spp i.e. Rhipicephalus boophilus spp (blue tick) has anal groove obsolete in the
female, faint in male, surround the anus posteriorly; in ornate, eye present, festoons absent and
palps and hypostome short. It is one-host tick.

3. Hyalomma is in ornate, sometimes ornate, eye present, festoons present or absent. Hypostome
and the palps are long. The males have a pair of adanal shield and sometimes accessory adanal
shield; frequently a pair of chitinous protrusion behind the adrenal shields. Spiracles are comma
shaped in males and triangular in females. It is known as a bont-legged tick. It is a parasite of
cattle, goats, equines, dogs, cats and wild animals.
Amblyoma is usually ornate, eyes and festoons present, hypostome and palp long and usually large
and broad. For instance, A. variagatum is called bont-tick or variegated tick and is an African
species. Haemaphysalis is in ornate, eyes absent, festoons present and palps or short and conical
Rhipicephalus spp such as R. appendiculatus is in ornate, eyes are present, hypostome and palp
short; coxa I with two strong spurs. R. appendiculatus is widely distributed in Africa, parasites of
cattle, equines, sheep goats; wild antelope even dogs (Monning H.O (1950). It is a three-host tick
and known as brown-ear tick. Rhipicephalus evertsi is also known as the red- leg tick and common
in Africa south of equator, parasites of many species of domestic and animals. Rhipicephalus
evertsi is distinguished from other members of this genus by its red legs and the shield is black
and densely pitted. The larvae and nymphae are usually found in ears or the inguinal regions, the
adults mainly under the tail.
Demodex spp lives in hair follicles and sebaceous glands of various animals causing demodectic
mange or follicular mange. Examples of Demodex spp are D. canis, D ovis, and D caprae. They
are elongate, about 0.25mm long, have head and thorax that bear four pairs of stumpy legs;
elongate abdomen that is transversely stricted on the dorsal and ventral surfaces (Monnig).
Psoroptes are oval and tarsal suckers have jointed pedicles. They live on the skin of the parts of
the body that are well covered with hair or wool or ears of the host and it causes scab in sheep or
mange in other animals.
Sarcoptes spp fall under the family Sarcoptidae in the order Siphonaptera. It is a minute parasite,
roughly circular in the outline, suckers present with un jointed pedicles of the first two pairs of
legs in the male and female, and on the fourth pair in the male, third and fourth pair of the legs are
short in the both sexes and do not project beyond the margin of the body. Dorsal surface covered
with fine folds and grooves that are transverse in arrangement and small scales (Monning H.O,
1950).
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4. Tunga penetrans is representative in mammals of the burrowing fleas and occur in man and rarely
in pigs. Its popular name is flea, in humans its jigger. Its present world-wide except in Europe. It
is a skin burrowing parasite.
Argas spp and Ornithodorus spp are soft tick in the family Argasidae. They have no scutum and
the mouthparts are not visible from the dorsal aspect. The integument (for argasidae) is leather
like, frequently mammilated and there is no dorsal shield. Eyes present or may not be present
(Monning H.O, 1950). Ornihodoraus moubata is an eyeless tampan while Argas a fowl tick, is a
common parasite in many warm and temperate climates, attacking fowls, turkey, pigeons, ducks,
geese, and wild birds. The edge of the body are sharp. The engorged tick has a slaty-blue color,
while the starved animal is yellowish-brown with the dark intestine showing through. As in other
sexes there is little difference between the male and female; the sexes can be distinguished only
by shape of the genital opening, which is situated anteriorly on the ventral surface and is larger in
the female than males.
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MATERIAL
Material:
 Microscopes
 Glass slide
 Cover slip
 70% preservative alcohol
Specimens:
Parasitiformes (ticks)
• Suborder Ixodida: Amblyoma spp, Hyalomma spp, Rhipicephalus spp.
• Suborder Argasidae: Argas spp
Acariformes (mites)
• Suborder Astigmata: Psoroptes spp, Sarcoptes spp.
• Suborder Prostigmata: Demodex spp, Tunga penetrans
PROCEDURE

5. The preserved specimens of different species and genera were examined microscopically and
macroscopically.
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RESULTS
Observation Characteristics
Parasitiformes (ticks)
Suborder Ixodida: Amblyoma spp
AMBLYOMMA
 (3-HOST)
 bont ticks, large brightly colored,
Legs banded and long mouth parts

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Parasitiformes (ticks)
Suborder Ixodida: Hyalomma spp
HYALOMMA
 (2-host)
 Bont legged ticks, legs banded, long
mouth parts, secrete toxins (Ht)
Observation Characteristics
Parasitiformes (ticks)
Suborder Ixodida: Rhipicephalus spp
RHIPICEPHALUS
 (2 AND 3 HOST TICKS)
 Brown ticks (others colored), found
south of Sahara (R. sanguinius
cosmopolitan)

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Parasitiformes (ticks)
Suborder Argasidae: Argas spp
ARGAS
 (multihost ticks)
 Commolnly known as fowl ticks,
 The edge of the body are sharp.
 The engorged tick has a slaty-blue
color, while the starved animal is
yellowish-brown with the dark
intestine showing through.
 As in other sexes there is little
difference between the male and
female; the sexes can be
distinguished only by shape of the
genital opening, which is situated
anteriorly on the ventral surface and
is larger in the female than males.
Observation Characteristics
Acariformes (mites)
Suborder Astigmata: Psoroptes spp
Family Psoroptidae
 Skin parasites of mammals
 Live in parts of body well covered
by wool or hair or in the ears of
their hosts.
 Cause scab on sheep and mange in
other animals
3 genera of vet importance
 Psoroptes, Chorioptes and
Otodectes

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Acariformes (mites)
Suborder Astigmata: Sarcoptes spp.
Family Sarcoptidae
 Spp of vet importance are
Sarcopties scabiei and Notoedress
cati
Scarcoptes scabiei:
 Commonly referred to as itch mite.
 World-wide distribution and
parasitizes humans, domestic and
several wild animals
 Adults about 250 μm long. Both
male and females burrow in skin of
host.
Observation Characteristics
Acariformes (mites)
Suborder Prostigmata: Demodex spp
 Follicle mite, likes inhibiting in the
follicle
 Causes demodectic mange
 Worldwide in distribution
 Example: Demodex canis
 Present in all dog breeds

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Acariformes (mites)
Suborder Prostigmata: Tunga penetrans
 Occur in man
 Burrowing flea
 Cosmopolitan in distribution except
in Europe
 Causes flea bite allergy/
hypersensitivity
Family: Argasidae
Ornithodorus spp
 soft tick
 no larval stage
 hatched from the eggs but the nymph
DISCUSSION
Ticks have direct and indirect significant negative impact on domestic and wild animals. Ixodids
and argasids are responsible for the transmission of pathogens such as Ehrlichia ruminantium that
cause heart water by Amblyoma variagatum. The genera ambylomma and Hyalomma, produce
wounds that damage the skin of the animal or may lead to loss of teats or infection by blowflies
(Monning H.O, 1950).
Theileria parva (Anaplasma marginale for anaplasmosis) cause East coast fever transmitted by
Rhipicephalus appendiculatus and Babesia bigemina (B. bovis, A. marginale for anaplasmos is)
that cause babesiosis or red water is transmitted by Rhipicephalus boophilus microplus and

10. decolaratus; African swine fever virus that cause African swine fever disease in pigs by
Ornithodorus.
Haemaphysalis transmits Babesia canis and Rickettsia conori. In addition to pathogen
transmission, ticks cause tick worry, tick toxicosis, tick pain and anemia and result in low
production (meat, milk, wool, hide etc.). Rhipicephalus evertsi is distinguished from
Rhipicephalus appendiculatus in such that the latter is brown almost the whole body while the
other one the legs are red. Rhipicephalus boophilus is distinguished from other Rhipicephalus spp
in that Boophilus has pale legs unlike the species in the same genus.
Treatment and control of tick infection is principally in the parasites themselves, and control
measures are, as a rule are directed against the disease of which the ticks and mites are the vectors,
and therefore depending on the epizootology of these diseases as well as on the habits of the ticks
and mites. (Monning H.O, 1950).
The life cycles or history of the hard ticks are similar, however; there are differences in the number
of host involved. There are one-host ticks such as Rhipicephalus boophilus (which requires one
host for them to complete the life cycle); two-host ticks such as Rhipicephalus evertsi (requires 2
hosts) and three-host tick needs 3 host to satisfactorily complete the cycle e.g. Amblyoma
variagatum. In general, the life cycle starts by the female mating and female can lay about 3000-
5000 eggs. The eggs hatch into a six-legged larvae that is the seed tick. The larvae seek the
vegetation and climb in waiting for attacking the host. After attacking the host, the larvae molt into
the nymph that molt into the adult. Upon engorgement, the female ticks fall on the ground to lay
eggs and the die. The male ticks live longer than the female tick on the host. The life cycle of
Argasidae is different from that of Ixodidae on nymphal stages. The genera under Argasidae have
nymphal stages. In Ornithodoras moubata, the life cycle is unique because there is no larval stage
hatched from the eggs but the nymph. This tampan transmits African swine fever virus and
spirochaetea dutton, the causative agent of African relapsing fever of human.
The life cycle of mites, in general, eggs hatch into 6-legged larvae, and larvae moult to the
nymphae, which have four pairs of legs. Nymphae progress through a series of moults, which
ranges from one to three, depending on the species, before the production of an adult mite. The
nymphal stages are known as to as protonymph, deutonymph and tritonymph. For instance, in
Sarcoptes scabiei, the fertilized female creates a winding burrow or tunnel in the upper layers of
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11. the epidermis, feeding on liquid oozing from the damaged tissues. The eggs are laid in these
tunnels, hatch in 3-5 days, and the six-legged larvae crawl on to the skin surface. These larvae, in
turn, burrow into the superficial layers of the skin to create small molting pockets in which the
moults to nymph and adult are completed. The adult male then emerges and seeks a female either
on the skin surface or in molting pockets. After fertilization the females produce new tunnels,
either de novo or by extension of the molting pocket. The entire life cycle is completed in 17-21
days (Urquhart, 2007). Female does not live longer than 3-4 days. The mites cause irritat ion,
intense itching and scratching which results into dermatitis, crusts, scabs, skin wrinkling and
alopecia. Disinfection, dipping/spraying and treatment with ivermectin is used to control mites.
Demodex spp is in follicles and sebaceous glands and it results in chronic inflammat ion,
proliferation and thickening of the epidermis and alopecia. Secondary bacterial infections result.
Ticks are generally controlled chemically through dipping, spraying/hand-dressing and other
integrated strategies such as cultivation of land, starvation, grass burning. The use of insectic ides
on the infested hosts is effective against mites this may be successfully be done by integrat ing
Hygiene practices in order to control the mites effectively.
Tunga penetrans is representative in mammals of the burrowing fleas and occur in man and rarely
in pigs. It is a skin burrowing parasite. The female burrows into the skin, where the abdomen is
distended and filled with eggs, forming a distinct nodule. The flea commonly occurs on the feet of
humans, causing severe irritation. In pigs the reported sites are the feet and scrotum, but these
animals tolerate the infection with no sign of distress. It’s associated with mild pruritis and flea -
bite allergy which is a profound clinical sign (Urquhart, 2007).
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CONCLUSION
Identification of Amblyoma spp, Hyalomma spp, Rhipicephalus spp, Argas spp, Psoroptes spp,
Sarcoptes spp, Demodex spp and Tunga penetrans was successful and their life cycles, medical
and veterinary importance together with their possible methods of control were explained.

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REFERENCES
 Monning H.O (1950), Veterinary Helminthology and Entomology, 3rd Edition, the Williams
and Wilkins Company, Baltimore.
 Soulsby E.J.L (1968). Helminthes, Arthropods and Protozoa of Domesticated Animals. Pp.
368-410.6th edition. London, Tindall and cassell.
 Urquhart, G.M, Armour, J, Duncune, J.L, Dunn. J.L and Jenning, F.W (2007). Veterinary
parasitology .pp191-200. 2nd edition. Blackwell publishing.