First records and molecular-phylogenetic analyses of three tick species (Ixodes kaiseri, Hyalomma lusitanicum and Ornithodoros coniceps) from Malta

Abstract The Maltese islands are situated south of mainland Europe and north of Africa, therefore are expected to share tick species and tick-borne pathogens with both continents. This situation highlights the importance of studying ticks in this country. Nevertheless, the tick fauna of Malta appears to be a seldom investigated issue, with hitherto only five tick species reported in the country. Here, as part of a tick collection campaign continuing since 2016 in Malta, three tick species new to the country are reported and analyzed in comparison with GenBank data. Ixodes kaiseri (collected from North African hedgehog in Malta) had unique cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) and 16S rRNA gene haplotypes (with 98.1-99.3% sequence identity to I. kaiseri from Europe and China). Phylogenetically, these haplotypes from Malta clustered separately from other, mainland-associated haplotypes, with high support. On the other hand, Ornithodoros coniceps (collected from domestic chicken in Malta) had identical or nearly identical cox1 and 16S rRNA gene haplotypes with soft ticks reported from France, northern Africa and western African islands, similarly to Hyalomma lusitanicum (collected from rabbit and cat in Malta) in comparison with conspecific ticks in Spain and Portugal. These results are most likely related to differences in host associations and corresponding translocality of these three tick species. Taken together, results of the present study add three new tick species to those five already known to be present in Malta.