Animal ectoparasites are linked to the spread of serious medical and veterinary important pathogens. Our research intends to close the knowledge gap concerning the numerous ectoparasites that inhabit animals in Wayanad. Ectoparasites in animals brought to the veterinary dispensaries in Wayanad were retrieved and identified morphologically and molecularly. Using a high-quality stereomicroscope, the taxonomic features of the four following species were examined and identified : Haemaphysalis bispinosa , Rhipicephalus annulatus, R. microplus , and Amblyomma geoemydae . The important disease vector A. geoemydae was reported for the first time in Kerala. The important phenotypic characters of the highlighted species A. geoemydae are the edge of the basis capituli is circular without cornua, and the hypostomal dental formula is 2/2. The taxonomically identified four species were subjected to CO1 gene sequence analysis. The evolutionary relationship was inspected through the neighbour-joining method, and the phylogenetic tree was built through the Maximum Likelihood method . The present study has also estimated the diversity index of R. microplus , R. annulatus , H. bispinosa , and A. geoemydae . Among them, R. microplus 0.36638 have reported with the maximum diversity index score. The significance of the study is the presence of Lyme disease vector A. geoemydae , in the Wayanad District of Kerala, and it is the first report of the species from where an outbreak of Lyme disease occurred in 2013.

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Genetic assessment and morphological features of a chelonian tick, Amblyomma geoemydae -Cantor, 1847 were determined for the first time in Kerala. Morphological features of Amblyomma geoemydae nymph were examined and photographed by using a high-quality ZIEZZ (Discovery.V20) microscope. The juvenile tick was identified as Amblyomma geoemydae evincing diverse external characters including the edge of the basis capituli is a round shape without cornua, hypostomal dental formula is 2/2, and the second segment of the palp is longer than the first and third. On the edge of the angular scutum have a pair of slightly convex eyes. The genetic confirmation was scrutinized by using sequences of mt COX1 gene. This investigation revealed the first molecular confirmation of A. geoemydae from Wayanad, Kerala. The evolutionary relationship was examined via neighbor-joining analysis and the phylogenetic tree was constructed through the Maximum Likelihood method. The identified A. geoemydae is genetically associated with some species under the same genera with high sequence similarity including A. marmoreum, A. ovale, and A. naponense. Some other species exhibit more sequence divergence such as A. imitator, and A. humerale. The findings provide evidence of dispersal of Ehrlichia, Francisella, and Borrelia miyamotoi vector have a significant role in Lyme disease and relapsing fever.