An annotated checklist of the ticks (Acari: Ixodida) of Germany

Abstract

Ticks (Ixodida: Argasidae, Ixodidae) are the main arthropod vectors of disease in Central Europe, including Germany. One species, Ixodes ricinus, dominates the tick fauna throughout this area and, as such, is justifiably the most common species studied. However, this concentration on a single species has led to the neglect of a variety of other species, also often common on their wild hosts, and also involved in the natural, zoonotic cycles of disease. In this contribution we provide a checklist of the species currently known to occur in Germany. The information summarized under the endemic species includes general distribution, hosts, and basic ecology, as well as each species’ medical and veterinary significance. Our aim is to bring the diversity of species present to the attention of the research community in the hope that the more neglected species will also be integrated into epidemiological models of the tick-borne diseases present.