Description of immature stages and redescription of adults of Ixodes luciae Sénevet (Acari: Ixodidae)

Abstract

The tick Ixodes luciae occurs in many countries within the Neotropical region but only adult ticks have been morphologically described. Larvae and nymphs parasitize marsupials and rodents while adults are common on marsupials. A colony of I. luciae was obtained from females collected on marsupials from the State of Rondônia, Northern Brazil. After being fed on rabbits, the specimens were maintained under controlled conditions of temperature and humidity. Unfed larvae, nymphs, males and females of the first generation were cleaned and prepared for both optical and scanning electron microscopy. Ixodes luciae is closely related to Ixodes loricatus, Ixodes schulzei, and Ixodes amarali, although each species has its own array of distinctive characters. The larva of I. luciae differs from those of both I. schulzei and I. amarali in the length of the capitulum and from I. schulzei in the number of posthalleral setae in the Haller’s organ. Nymphs differ from I. amarali, I. loricatus and I. schulzei by the length of the external spur on coxae I, and from I. schulzei and I. amarali in having slender and shorter capitulum and hypostome. Males and females of I. luciae differ from the other three species by the length of the external spur on coxae I and by the scutal punctations, which are much longer and larger, respectively, in I. luciae. However, except for a few features, the chaetotaxy is the same for larvae of the four species, not only on the idiosoma (e.g. scutum with four pairs of setae), palpi and tarsus I, but also the number of porose setae within the capsule of Haller’s organ and the prehalleral setae.