Haemaphysalis (Herpetobia) himalaya sp. n. (Ixodoidea, Ixodidae), a Parasite of the Himalayan Thar (Artiodactyla, Caprinae) in Northwestern India

Abstract

Haemaphysalis (Herpetobia) himalaya sp. n., described from a male and female specimen from Hemitragus j. jemlahicus (H. Smith) (Artiodactyla, Caprinae) at 3,000 m altitude in Uttar Pradesh, northern India, is related to H. (Herpetobia) nepalensis Hoogstraal, which occurs to the east in Nepal and the North East Frontier Agency of India. The type locality of the new species is situated at the upper margin of the temperate zone in mixed oak-conifer forest dominated by Quercus semecarpifolia. The unusual dental formulae, 5/5 in the male and 7/7 in the female of this tick, is also seen in other species of the subgenus Herpetobia. Haemaphysalis (Herpetobia) himalaya sp. n., collected by the late Baron G. A. von Maydell during the German India Expedition (1955-58), is related to H. (Herpetobia) nepalensis Hoogstraal, which occurs to the east in Nepal and in the North East Frontier Agency of India. A comparative study of the ecological and host relationships of these two species should be interesting. We are grateful to Dr. G. Rack of the Zoologisches Staatsinstitut und Zoologisches Museum, Hamburg, Germany, for the privilege of studying the valuable material described here. Haemaphysalis (Herpetobia) himalaya sp. n. The Indian Himalayan Haemaphysalid (Figs. 1-20) Holotype Male, from Himalayan thar, Hemitragus j. jemlahicus (H. Smith) (Artiodactyla, Caprinae), Molta, 3,000 m altitude, Uttar Pradesh, India, 18 June 1956, Baron G. A. von Maydell legit. Deposited in the Zoologisches Staatsinstitut und Zoologisches Museum, Hamburg, Germany.