First records of Hyalomma rufipes and Ixodes neitzi (Acari: Ixodidae) found on large carnivores in South Africa

Abstract

Ixodid ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) are important disease vectors for large carnivores, but the composition of the tick communities that parasitize carnivores is poorly understood. We collected ticks from leopards (Panthera pardus) and brown hyenas (Hyaena brunnea) in the Soutpansberg Mountains, South Africa, to determine which species feed on these carnivores. We identified a total of eight tick species belonging to six genera, and recorded Ixodes neitzi and Hyalomma rufipes on P. pardus for the first time.