The Argasidae are the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
of soft ticks, one of the three families 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". Ticks are external parasites, living by ...
s. The family contains 193
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
, although the composition of the
genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
is less certain, and more study is needed before the genera can become stable.
The currently accepted genera are ''
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 ...
'', ''
Argas
''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 ...
'', ''
Nothoaspis
''Nothoapis'' is a genus in the soft-bodied tick family, 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 m ...
'', ''
Ornithodoros
''Ornithodoros'' is a genus in the soft-bodied tick family, Argasidae.
Physiology
The opening between the midgut and hindgut has been lost, making the ticks unable to pass digestive waste products out of their bodies.
Taxonomy
The Linnean name ...
'', and ''
Otobius
''Otobius'' is a genus in the soft-bodied tick family, Argasidae. While similar to the genus ''Ornithodoros'' it is characterized by a vestigial hypostome in adults, despite being developed in nymphs, in addition to the absence of both eyes and h ...
''.
The Argasidae are very common in South Asia, along with 96 other species of ticks, making South Asia the region with the highest biodiversity of ticks worldwide.
Soft ticks are resistant to desiccation and can live for several years in arid conditions.
Physical characteristics
Soft ticks lack the hard
scutum
The ''scutum'' (; plural ''scuta'') was a type of shield used among Italic peoples in antiquity, most notably by the army of ancient Rome starting about the fourth century BC.
The Romans adopted it when they switched from the military formati ...
present in the hard ticks (
Ixodidae
The Ixodidae are the family of hard ticks or scale ticks, one of the three families of ticks, consisting of over 700 species. They are known as 'hard ticks' because they have a scutum or hard shield, which the other major family of ticks, the 'sof ...
).
The
gnathosoma
The gnathosoma (from Greek , ' = "jaw" and , ' = "body") is the part of the body of the Acari (mites and ticks) comprising the mouth and feeding parts. These are the hypostome, the chelicerae and the pedipalps. It is also called the capitulum (howe ...
(or capitulum, the mouthparts-bearing structure) is located on the underside of the animal's body and is not readily visible,
while in the Ixodidae, the gnathosoma projects forward from the body. The lateral edges of the body are rounded.
See also
*
Ticks of domestic animals
Ticks of domestic animals directly cause poor health and loss of production to their hosts. Ticks also transmit numerous kinds of viruses, bacteria, and protozoa between domestic animals. These microbes cause diseases which can be severely debilita ...
References
External links
*
*
Ticks
Acari families
Taxa named by Carl Ludwig Koch
{{acari-stub