Abnormal morphology of a larva of Ixodes lividus Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae)
Volume 12, Issue 4, Autumn 2023, Pages 593-597
https://doi.org/10.22073/pja.v12i4.82615
Yuri Bykov, Aleksandra Yatsuk, Evgeny Kondratev, Alexandr Porshakov, Alexandr Matyukhin
Abstract During our parasitological studies on ticks in nests of the sand martin (Riparia riparia L., 1758) in Vladimirskaya oblast, we noticed that among 6982 collected Ixodes lividus, Koch 1844 larvae, one was observed with abnormal appearance and the presence of two anal pores. Teratological changes are rare phenomena in ticks. The most predominant abnormality documented in ticks is gynandromorphism (i.e., individus with both male and female tissues). There are also other types of morphological abnormalities, such as asymmetry, bifurcation, fusion of adanal plates and festoons, atrophy or lack of one or two legs. The present study represents the first study of morphological abnormalities (ie, teratology) in I. lividus and the reported finding is a first for this tick species.