''Argas keiransi'' is a species of argasid

tick Ticks (order Ixodida) are parasitic arachnids that are part of the mite superorder Parasitiformes. Adult ticks are approximately 3 to 5 mm in length depending on age, sex, species, and "fullness". Ticks are external parasites, living by ...

in the

subgenus In biology, a subgenus (plural: subgenera) is a taxonomic rank directly below genus. In the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a subgeneric name can be used independently or included in a species name, in parentheses, placed between t ...

'' Persicargus'' that parasitizes the chimango, a falconid

bird of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predators h ...

found in the

Sub-Antarctic The sub-Antarctic zone is a region in the Southern Hemisphere, located immediately north of the Antarctic region. This translates roughly to a latitude of between 46° and 60° south of the Equator. The subantarctic region includes many islands ...

biogeographical region; the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

was collected in

Chillán Chillán () is the capital city of the Ñuble Region in the Diguillín Province of Chile located about south of the country's capital, Santiago, near the geographical center of the country. It is the capital of the new Ñuble Region since 6 Sept ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. The

species name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

honors the scientific contributions of James E. Keirans. ''A. keiransi'' is similar to, but morphologically distinct from, ''

Argas giganteus ''Argas'' is a genus of tick. Species * '' Argas abdussalami'' Hoogstraal & McCarthy, 1965 * '' Argas acinus'' Whittick, 1938 * '' Argas africolumbae'' Hoogstraal, Kaiser, Walker, Ledger, Converse & Rice, 1975 * '' Argas arboreus'' Kaiser, Hoo ...

'' Kohls & Clifford, 1968.

References

Ticks Animals described in 2003 Arachnids of South America Argasidae Parasites of birds {{Acari-stub