''Nothoaspis reddelli'', also known as ''Carios reddelli'', is a

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 ...

that feeds on the

ghost-faced bat The ghost-faced bat (''Mormoops megalophylla'') is a bat in the genus ''Mormoops''. It is one of only two extant species within its genus, the other being the much smaller ''Mormoops blainvillii''. They are nocturnal and hunt using echolocatio ...

Discovery

The

was discovered in 1975 by James E. Kierans and Carleton M. Clifford in a cave located in Campeche, Mexico. The tick is very similar to those of the genus ''

Antricola ''Antricola'' is a genus of 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". Tick ...

'', but ''Nothoaspis reddelli'' is the only tick species with a false shield on the

anterior Standard anatomical terms of location are used to unambiguously describe the anatomy of animals, including humans. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position prov ...

(front) half of its body, showing it to be both a new genus and a new species.

Life cycle

The most common host of ''Nothoaspis reddelli'' is the insectivorous

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

Mormoops megalophylla The ghost-faced bat (''Mormoops megalophylla'') is a bat in the genus ''Mormoops''. It is one of only two extant species within its genus, the other being the much smaller ''Mormoops blainvillii''. They are nocturnal and hunt using echolocation ...

''. A member of the

Argasidae The Argasidae are the family of soft ticks, one of the three families of ticks. The family contains 193 species, although the composition of the genera is less certain, and more study is needed before the genera can become stable. The currently a ...

family, ''N. reddelli,'' has a multi-host life cycle (feeding on two or more hosts), feeding off each host to reach adulthood. After hatching, the

instar An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'', "form", "likeness") is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each moult (''ecdysis''), until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow or ass ...

finds its first host to feed upon and grows into a

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

. The larva

molt In biology, moulting (British English), or molting (American English), also known as sloughing, shedding, or in many invertebrates, ecdysis, is the manner in which an animal routinely casts off a part of its body (often, but not always, an outer ...

s and develops into a

nymph A nymph ( grc, νύμφη, nýmphē, el, script=Latn, nímfi, label=Modern Greek; , ) in ancient Greek folklore is a minor female nature deity. Different from Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature, are ty ...

, which finds the second host. After feeding off and leaving its second host, ''N. reddelli'' molts once more. The nymph then feeds on a third host. This cycle is repeated for up to seven days, after which the nymph leaves its final host and molts to reach a sexually mature form. Mating and hatching of eggs occurs away from hosts. Mated females

oviposit The ovipositor is a tube-like organ used by some animals, especially insects, for the laying of eggs. In insects, an ovipositor consists of a maximum of three pairs of appendages. The details and morphology of the ovipositor vary, but typical ...

frequently, leaving multiple eggs (though fewer than 500 eggs per cycle).

Morphology

Females and males differ greatly in their hypostomal

dentition Dentition pertains to the development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth. In particular, it is the characteristic arrangement, kind, and number of teeth in a given species at a given age. That is, the number, type, and morpho-physiolo ...

. Males have two pairs of

setae In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms. Animal setae Protostomes Annelid setae are stiff bristles present on the body. Th ...

on the

pedipalp Pedipalps (commonly shortened to palps or palpi) are the second pair of appendages of chelicerates – a group of arthropods including spiders, scorpions, horseshoe crabs, and sea spiders. The pedipalps are lateral to the chelicerae ("jaws") and ...

s, and females have one pair. The female hood is large, spherical, and can be seen from above. Females also have an oval-shaped plate with spiracles (holes that are used to breathe), located on the underside of the

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...

near the lungs. They have a hard, smooth outer coating on the front half of their

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage * Dorsal co ...

surface composed of three large pieces positioned in a triangle: one in the front and two in the back. Each of these parts has two smaller parts on each side. The back of the dorsal surface is arranged in structures similar to cells. Adult and nymphal ''N. reddelli'' have a "false shield" over the anterior half of the body.

Feeding

''N. reddelli'', like all other ticks, must consume the host's blood as food. It cannot jump or fly, so it latches onto the

and makes a hole in the bat's

epidermis The epidermis is the outermost of the three layers that comprise the skin, the inner layers being the dermis and hypodermis. The epidermis layer provides a barrier to infection from environmental pathogens and regulates the amount of water rele ...

to drink blood. ''N. reddelli'' releases a numbing agent to keep the bat from becoming aware of the ticks presence, and releases an

anticoagulant Anticoagulants, commonly known as blood thinners, are chemical substances that prevent or reduce coagulation of blood, prolonging the clotting time. Some of them occur naturally in blood-eating animals such as leeches and mosquitoes, where the ...

to keep the blood from

clotting Coagulation, also known as clotting, is the process by which blood changes from a liquid to a gel, forming a blood clot. It potentially results in hemostasis, the cessation of blood loss from a damaged vessel, followed by repair. The mechanism o ...

. When the tick is finished feeding, it unlatches from the bat and disembarks, where it will prepare for its next feeding.

Range and habitat

At first, it was believed that ''N. reddelli'' was

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to Mexico. It was originally discovered in the

guano Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. G ...

of the ghost-faced bat in the Grutas de Xtacumbilxunam caves in

Campeche Campeche (; yua, Kaampech ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Campeche ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Campeche), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. Located in southeast Mexico, it is bordered by ...

, and was later observed in

Yucatán Yucatán (, also , , ; yua, Yúukatan ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Yucatán,; yua, link=no, Xóot' Noj Lu'umil Yúukatan. is one of the 31 states which comprise the political divisions of Mexico, federal entities of Mexico. I ...

and

Tabasco Tabasco (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tabasco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tabasco), is one of the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 17 municipalities and its capital city is Villahermosa. It is located in ...

. However, in 2015, ''N. reddelli'' was also found

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

. The ghost-faced bat, and thus ''Nothoaspis reddelli'', live in hot and humid caves. The environment within the cave is more important to the tick than the distribution of the ghost-faced bat, which is not much of a

limiting factor A limiting factor is a variable of a system that causes a noticeable change in output or another measure of a type of system. The limiting factor is in a pyramid shape of organisms going up from the producers to consumers and so on. A factor not l ...

. The cave in which the tick was first discovered is grimy, small, moist, and dark; it also contained a

cenote A cenote ( or ; ) is a natural pit, or sinkhole, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater. The regional term is specifically associated with the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico, where cenotes were commonly used for ...

. The

Mayans The Maya peoples () are an ethnolinguistic group of indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica. The ancient Maya civilization was formed by members of this group, and today's Maya are generally descended from people who lived within that historical reg ...

once lived in the cave, but it is no longer inhabited by humans. ''N. reddelli'' thrives in temperatures ranging from .

Diseases

It is currently unknown whether ''Nothoaspis reddelli'' feeds off humans or carries diseases that humans are susceptible to.

Notes

References

External links

* * *
Hallan Classification
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3344488 Acari families Ticks Arthropods of Central America Cave arachnids Argasidae