First records of the tick Ixodes frontalis (Panzer, 1795) (Acari, Ixodidae) in Slovakia

Martin Bona; Michal Stanko

doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2013.06.002

First records of the tick Ixodes frontalis (Panzer, 1795) (Acari, Ixodidae) in Slovakia

Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2013 Dec;4(6):478-81. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2013.06.002. Epub 2013 Aug 14.

Authors

Martin Bona¹, Michal Stanko

Affiliation

¹ Institute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hlinkova 3, 04001 Košice, Slovak Republic. Electronic address: martinbonask@gmail.com.

PMID: 24001993
DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2013.06.002

Abstract

Ixodes frontalis (Panzer, 1975) is a three-host tick usually considered strictly specific to birds. The first evidence of I. frontalis from Slovakia is presented in this paper. One male and 4 nymphs were collected using the flagging method in 2 different geomorphological units, the Slovak Karst and the Zvolen basin, during collections in the autumn of 2011, and next in spring and autumn 2012. The fact that we managed to capture 2 different stages of I. frontalis several times on vegetation supports one of the following hypotheses: (i) The ticks are frequently imported by migratory birds, or (ii) a permanent surviving population currently exists in Central Europe.

Keywords: Flagging method; Ixodes frontalis; Slovakia; Ticks.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Bird Diseases / parasitology*
Birds
Ixodes / anatomy & histology
Ixodes / classification*
Male
Nymph
Seasons
Slovakia