An annotated bibliography of the spinose ear tick, <i>Otobius megnini</i> (Dugès, 1883) (Acari: Ixodida: Argasidae) 1883-2000

Abstract

Since the first published description of Otobius megnini , the spinose ear tick, by Duges in 1883, its importance primarily as a pest of cattle and horses has lead to the publication of numerous research articles, as well as pamphlets, leaflets, brochures and other informative printings. The following annotated bibliography is the first attempt to gather references to these writings into a single alphabetically organized document as an historical aid to those interested in furthering their knowledge or research efforts on this species. During the 132 years from the first published reference to this tick in 1868 through the year 2000, we have found and referenced 928 writings. The initial fourth of these were written during the 71 years from 1868 through 1939, with publication efforts during the second, third and fourth quartiles being quite similar and requiring 21 (1940 through 1960), 19 (1961 through 1979), and 21 years (1980 through 2000), respectively. Owing perhaps to the species originating in the southwestern U.S. and spreading southward into Mexico and South America, >90% of the citations are written in English (753 or 81.1%) or Spanish (85 or 9.3%). The remaining publications are in French (4.8%), German (2.8%), Portuguese (0.6%), Russian (0.5%), Afrikaans (0.3%), Italian (0.2%), Danish (0.1%), Croatian (0.1%) and Turkish (0.1%). Although efforts were made to reference as many publications as possible, the authors welcome additional citations and corrections to those already included.