Ixodes kangdingensis (Acari: Ixodidae), a new species from the Siberian weasel, Mustela sibirica (Carnivora: Mustelidae) in China

Abstract

S U M M A R YThe female and nymph of Ixodes (Pholeoixodes) kangdingensis n. sp. are described based on both morphology and analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences. Specimens of this new tick species were collected from a Siberian weasel (Mustela sibirica) in Kangding County, Sichuan Province, China. The morphological features of the female and nymph are unique to distinguish I. kangdingensis n. sp. from other members of the subgenus Pholeoixodes, including the presence of distinctly shaped cornua, anterior and posterior processes on palpal article I and a large angular projection on each side of the hypostome. Partial sequence of 16S rRNA gene grouped this species with Ixodes arboricola and Ixodes lividus with sequence divergence of new species from I. arboricola 4·16% and from I. lividus 8·49%. Data on the phylogenetic position, hosts, geographic distribution and key to females of closely related species are also provided.

Ticks (Acari: Ixodoidea) in China: Geographical distribution, host diversity, and specificity

“…As shown, the Ixodidae family comprises 111 species from seven genera, Amblyomma (eight species), Anomalohimalaya (two species), Dermacentor (14 species), Haemaphysalis (43 species), Hyalomma (seven species), Ixodes (29 species), and Rhipicephalus (eight species), and the Argasidae family comprises 14 species from two genera, Argas (10 species), and Ornithodoros (four species). Considering that some new tick species and new recorded tick species were recently reported (T. Guo et al, ; Y. Guo et al, ; H. Li et al, ; Wen & Chen, ), and China has a vast territory and various landscape types, the number of tick species in China will most likely increase in future study efforts.…”

“…The data on tick species distributed in China are mainly obtained from published literature (Z. Chen et al, ; Deng & Jiang, ; Duan, ; T. Guo et al, ; Y. Guo et al, ; W. Li et al, ; Wen & Chen, ; X. Yu et al, ). Wen and Chen () also examined and revised the valid species names of the Argasidae ticks of the world.…”

“…China has a relatively high tick species diversity, and over 120 species (about 13% of world species) have been described across its geography and infesting different hosts (Bush & Robbins, ; Chao, Hsieh, & Shih, ; Chao, Lu, Lin, & Shih, ; Z. Chen et al, ; Deng & Jiang, ; Duan, ; T. Guo, Sun, Xu, & Durden, ; Y. Guo, Sun, & Xu, ; W. Li, Sun, Zhang, & Xu, ; Wen & Chen, ; Yin & Luo, ; X. Yu, Ye, & Gong, ). Owing to the medical and economic importance of ticks, increasing studies have paid more attention to tick biology (Z. Chen, Yu, Yang, Zheng, & Liu, ; J. Li et al, ; J. Liu, Liu, Zhang, Yang, & Gao, ; Ma et al, ), tick ecology (T. Wang et al, ; Zheng, Yu, Zhou, Yang, & Liu, ), and tick‐borne disease (Chu et al, ; Fang et al, ; Wu, Na, Wei, Zhu, & Peng, ; Z. Yu et al, ), especially reports of the new emergence of tick‐borne pathogens in recent years (H. Li et al, ; Y.…”

Identification of a new species of Ixodes Latreille, 1795 (Acari: Ixodidae), parasite of hog badgers (Carnivora: Mustelidae) in China

“…rugicollis , I . subterraneus (see Cordas et al, 1993; Emel'yanova, 1979; Filippova, 1977; Guo et al, 2017; Hornok et al, 2017; Teng & Jiang, 1991). Males of I .…”

“…In our previous study (Duan et al, 2021), we sequenced and characterized the complete mitochondrial genome of I. hunanensis Cordas et al, 1993;Emel'yanova, 1979;Filippova, 1977;Guo et al, 2017;Hornok et al, 2017;Teng & Jiang, 1991). Males of I. cornutus, I. filippovae, I. kangdingensis and I. myospalacis are unknown, while the taxonomic status of I. canisuga and I. filippovae is unclear (Guglielmone et al, 2020).…”