The Systematics Investigation on the Ticks (Acari: Ixodida) of the Domestic Sheep in Niğde Province, Turkey

The present study was made to identify the species of 881 specimens of the ticks found on about 2000 domestic sheep in Nigde Province. As a result of investigations, an Argasidae (Ornithodoros (Alveonasus) lahorensis) and 8 Ixodidae species (Dermacentor (Serdjukovia) marginatus, D. (S.) niveus, Haemaphysalis (Haemaphysalis) concinna, H. (Alloceraea) inermis, H. (Segalia) parva, H. (Aboimisalis) punctata, H. (Herpetobia) sulcata, and Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus) were determined. The distribution at the genera level of the samples are as follows: Haemaphysalis 73.2 %, Ornithodoros 16.1 %, Dermacentor 10.2 %, and Rhipicephalus 0.45 %. H. sulcata was the most common species with 256 specimens(29.1 %) and H. concinna was the rarest species with only 1 specimen (0.1 %). D. niveus was recorded for the first time from Nigde Province. In addition, the seasonality and taxonomic status of the recorded species are discussed in the current article