The ixodid ticks collected from dogs and other animals in Taiwan and Kinmen Island

Abstract

A total of 594 ticks were collected from the environment, dogs, cattle, goats, small mammals, birds, a turtle, a snake, a bat and a human. Morphological identification of 509 ticks resulted in the listing of the following species: Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides, Rhipicephalus microplus, Haemaphysalis warburtoni, Haemaphysalis phasiana, Haemaphysalis campanulata, Ixodes acutitarsus and Amblyomma geoemydae.

Keywords:

• tick
• Taiwan
• Kinmen Island
• ectoparasite
• dog

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Endemic Species Research Institute for providing ticks collected from wild animals and Veterinary Teaching Hospital in National Chung Hsing University, Bureau of Environmental Protection Taichung City, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Center Kinmen County, Animal Disease Control Center in Hualien, Taitung, Ilan and Taichung County and Hualien Stray Dogs^’ House for allowing sample collection and supplying samples. The authors also thank Dr. James E. Keirans in US National Tick Collection, Institute of Arthropodology and Parasitology, Georgia Southern University, for helping to differentiate R. sanguineus from Rhipicephalus pumilio.