First records of Secretargas transgariepinus (Argasidae) in Libya and Jordan: corrections of collection records and detection of microorganisms

Abstract

The primarily bat-associated argasid tick, Secretargas transgariepinus (White, 1846), is a member of the Afrotropical and southern Palaearctic fauna. Probably because of its secretive life style, little is known about this species and records of its collection are scant. Based on morphological revisions of the available specimens, we report new Middle Eastern records for this tick species that had been misidentified as other bat-associated argasid taxa. These specimens are larvae from three localities, and represent the first records of S. transgariepinus from two countries: one larva from Sabratha (Libya) was collected from an unidentified bat species (possibly Eptesicus isabellinus), seven larvae from Azraq-Shishan (Jordan), and 78 larvae from Shamwari (Jordan) were all collected from Otonycteris hemprichii. Twenty larvae from Shamwari were also tested for the presence of both, viral or bacterial microorganisms by PCR. Three ticks were found to be infected with the Murid gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68), one with Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, and four with a Rickettsia sp. closely related to Rickettsia slovaca. The findings represent a first evidence for the occurrence of these possible pathogens in S. transgariepinus.