An Illustrated Guide to the Identification of Ticks

The present identification guide has associated with the 24 tick species that feed on domestic animals in Iran. These comprise six argasid (soft) ticks: Alveonasus canestrinii Birula, 1895, Alveonasus lahorensis Neumann, 1908 (Middle East sheep tampan), Ornithodoros tholozani Laboulbne & Mgnin 1882 (cave tick), Otobius megnini Dugs, 1883 (spinose ear tick), Argas persicus Oken, 1818 (fowl tick), Argas hermanni Audouin 1927 (African bird argasid); and 18 ixodid (hard) ticks, Ixodes ricinus Linnaeus, 1758 (castor bean tick), Haemaphysalis concinna Koch, 1844 (relict tick), Haemaphysalis inermis Birula, 1895, Haemaphysalis parva Neumann, 1897, Haemaphysalis punctata Canestrini & Fanzago, 1878 (red sheep tick), Haemaphysalis sulcata Canestrini & Fanzago, 1878, Rhipicephalus annulatus Say, 1821, Rhipicephalus bursa Canestrini & Fanzago, 1878, Rhipicephalus sanguineus Latreille, 1806 (brown dog tick), Dermacentor marginatus Sulzer, 1776 (ornate sheep tick), Dermacentor raskemensis Pomerantzev, 1946, Hyalomma anatolicum Koch, 1844 (small Anatolian Hyalomma), Hyalomma asiaticum Schulze & Schlottke, 1930 (Asiatic Hyalomma), Hyalomma dromedarii Koch, 1844 (camel Hyalomma).