Ticks & Mites: Ectoparasites Quiz

Ticks can grow up to 3 cm when soaked and are of special importance in veterinary and human medicine because of their function as transmitters of major diseases. According to their morphology and biology, ticks are separated into two families: 1. Soft ticks (Argasidae) 2. ______ (Ixodidae)

Each stage is completed with a moult being essential for further growth. To find their host, both tick families use a set of chemoreceptors located along their forelegs, in particular in an organized group of them called the Haller’s organ. ______—Soft ticks Otobius megnini Epidemiology The Argasid (soft) tick Otobius megnini, the spinose ear tick, infects cattle, sheep, dogs, horses and occasionally people in and North America, including Canada, as well as South America, India, and South Africa. Morphology Adults are blue grey in color with yellow legs and mouthparts. Adult females measure 5-8 mm and males are slightly smaller. Engorged nymphs measure 7-10 mm and are covered with short yellow spines. Larva are 2-3 mm in length with 9-10 pairs of setae on the dorsal surface and 5 pairs on the ventral surface. Geographic distribution of spinose ear tick Otobius megnini Life Cycle Otobius megnini is a one-host tick with larval and nymphal stages parasitic and the adult stage non-parasitic.

Adults are blue grey in color with yellow legs and mouthparts. Adult females measure 5-8 mm and males are slightly smaller. Engorged nymphs measure 7-10 mm and are covered with short yellow spines. Larva are 2-3 mm in length with 9-10 pairs of setae on the dorsal surface and 5 pairs on the ventral surface. Geographic distribution of spinose ear tick ______ Life Cycle ______ is a one-host tick with larval and nymphal stages parasitic and the adult stage non-parasitic.

Otobius megnini is a one-host tick with larval and nymphal stages parasitic and the adult stage ______.

The Argasid (soft) tick Otobius megnini, the spinose ear tick, ______ cattle, sheep, dogs, horses and occasionally people in and North America, including Canada, as well as South America, India, and South Africa.