Ticks (Acari: Ixodida) of the genus Haemaphysalis Koch, 1844 in Senegal : a review of host associations, chorology, and identification

Massamba Sylla (1) , Mady Ndiaye (1) , Marc Souris (2, 3) , Jean-Paul Gonzalez (3)

1 UCAD - Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar [Sénégal]
2 CTEM - Conditions et territoires d'émergence des maladies : dynamiques spatio-temporelles de l'émergence, évolution, diffusion/réduction des maladies, résistance et prémunition des hôtes
3 IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement

The Haemaphysalis genus (Acari, Ixodidae) in Senegal is reviewed. This embodies a summary of specimens collected from vertebrate hosts over three decades. 454 collections were performed over this period (408 from mammals and 46 from birds), representing a total of 5752 ticks in different developmental stages. Seven Haemaphysalis spp. were collected, identified, and inventoried including: H. (Kaiseriana) rugosa, H. (Ornithophysalis) hoodi, H. (Rhipistoma) houyi, as well as four other species belonging to the leachi group, namely H. (Rhipistoma) leachi, H. (Rh.) moreli, H. (Rh.) muhsamae and H. (Rh.) spinulosa. Vertebrate hosts of Haemaphysalis species were identified and listed in different ecological zones of Senegal. An identification key of the haemaphysalids of Senegal is proposed, which is also applicable to the haemaphysalid fauna of the Occidental sub-region of the Afrotropical zoogeographical region. The role of these species as potential vectors of zoonotic diseases in Senegal is also discussed.

Mots clés: hosts; Haemaphysalis; Ixodidae; distribution; Animalia; Arthropoda; Acari; vectors; West Africa; diagnosis

Domaines: Systématique, phylogénie et taxonomie; Parasitologie

Massamba Sylla, Mady Ndiaye, Marc Souris, Jean-Paul Gonzalez. Ticks (Acari: Ixodida) of the genus Haemaphysalis Koch, 1844 in Senegal : a review of host associations, chorology, and identification. Acarologia, 2018, 58 (4), pp.928-945. ⟨10.24349/acarologia/20184297⟩. ⟨hal-01924598⟩