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The Breathtaking Adventures of Ticks - Plain and Simple (Part 3)

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The Breathtaking Adventures of Ticks - Plain and Simple (Part 2)

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The Breathtaking Adventures of Ticks - Plain and Simple (Part 1)

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Meet the Dust Mites, Tiny Roommates That Feast On Your Skin  |  Deep Look

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Identify the following species and describe their importance and what host they feed on:

1. Haemaphysalis elliptica

2. Rhipicephalus decoloratus

3. Hyalomma truncatum

4. Hyalomma marginatum

5. Amlyomma herbraeum

6. Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi

Please describe how you would differentiate between the species

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Three host life cycle

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two host life cycle

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One host lifecycle

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Where is Haller's organ located? What is the function of this organ? Do mites also have this organ

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Please explain the feeding mechanism of ticks
Please explain the feeding mechanism of mites

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Mange mites usually feed on exuding lymph from the bite wounds and dead cells or other debris leading to ‘barn itch’ with hair loss and skin crusts. Parasitic mites feed by using their mouthparts and front appendages to dig into the outer epidermal layer of the host’s skin, causing damage to the hide of the animal. Feeding activity, host immune system response to mite secretions and faecal matter, cause irritation that leads to extensive scratching, scabbing and secondary infection.Veterinary important mite species in South Africa belongs to the Astigmata and Prostigmata orders.  Furthermore, the mite species form part of the two veterinary important families Sarcoptidae and Psoroptidae.  Mites from the Sarcoptidae family are obligate parasites that burrow into the skin of mammals, generally affecting the thinly haired parts of the animals’ body . In the family Psoroptidae (non-burrowing mites) there are three genera of veterinary importance, Psoroptes, Chorioptes and Otodectes.

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Please identify the following image as hard or soft ticks, male and female (A and B) and fill in the missing labels

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Ticks are obligatory blood feeding parasites that have a long-standing history with humans, their domesticated animals and wild animals.  They are part of the Class Arachnida and can further be divided into two family groups; hard body ticks (Ixodidae) and soft body ticks (Argasidae). The total dorsal surface of a male Ixodid tick is covered by a sclerotized dorsal shield known as the conscutum.  Female Ixodid ticks have a smaller sclerotized shield referred to as the scutum.  In Argasid ticks the dorsal shield is absent, and the outer surface of the body is leathery.  Argasidae ticks are more commonly associated with nest dwelling animals. Please explain Argasidae ticks lifecycle in detail

Please identify the following image as hard or soft ticks, male and female (A and B) and fill in the missing labels

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Epidermal ectoparasites
The feeding ectoparasites cause damage to the hide and subcutaneous tissue which can transmit a wide variety of pathogenic conditions. Feeding activity of the parasites is associated with pruritus, erythema, papules, excoriation, lichenification, crusting and scaling, generally causing trauma to the animal. Ticks can transmit various diseases such as heartwater, redwater, African tick fever and Congo fever. In 2000 annual worldwide losses associated with tick borne diseases alone were estimated to be about 18 billion US dollars.

According to Jongejan et al. (1994), when Ixodid ticks feed, 60% to 70% of surplus water in the blood meal is re-injected into the host animal through salivation.  This means the actual consumption of blood can be two to three times the body weight of the engorged female tick