ABSTRACT
Ticks (Metastigmata or Ixodida in the Parasitiformes) are obligate ectoparasites and the largest of the Acari (Evans et al. 1961, Sonenshine 1991, 1993, Mullen and Durden 2002, Nicholson et al. 2009). Ticks attack all vertebrates, except …sh, and are important vectors of microorganisms causing diseases in humans and domestic animals (Hoogstraal 1966, 1981, Bram 1978, Nutting 1984, Spielman et al. 1985, Lane et al. 1991, Stafford 2007). Worldwide, ticks are the most important vectors of disease agents of veterinary importance, and second only to mosquitoes as vectors of disease agents of humans (Nicholson et al. 2009). Because of their economic importance as direct pests and as vectors of disease agents, as well as their larger size (2 to 30 mm in length), ticks are better studied than any other group of acarines (Klompen et al. 1996).
