Ixodidae

Female Ixodes hexagonus (4 mm)

The hard ticks ( Ixodidae ) are among the mites. They are characterized by a leathery skin stretchy and are temporary ectoparasites.

Compared to the soft ticks, they differ in a number of well-defined characteristics. They have a hard outer skin and a seated on the chest piece specially reinforced area of ​​the skin, the shield ( scutum ). In the male, it may cover the whole tick, in females it is often formed only small and inconspicuous. From this feature, the name of the family comes from.

Dissemination

Ticks are found worldwide and are also in Central Europe the most common tick family. You keep increasing in the outdoors, especially in meadows of tall grass stock on. Therefore, they are looking at bright moist places in order to attach by direct contact to the host.

Way of life

The best-known representative is the European Common tick (Ixodes ricinus). The host choice Ticks are not restricted to a particular host, but can all vertebrates ( reptiles, birds, mammals ) infested. The reason for this is the fact that ticks primarily feed on proteins, such as hemoglobin, albumin, globulin and lipids such as cholesterol, which are similar in all vertebrates. Some species require only one host, while others up to three host changes go through in their development. In some Ixodes species, the adult males are no longer dependent on a blood meal.

Ticks as disease carriers

As bloodsuckers ticks can also transmit several diseases, see detail with ticks or tick bite.

Ticks of the genus Hyalomma are mainly parasites of ungulates. Transfer, inter alia, the viral- induced, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever ( CCHF ), which can cause large epidemics among humans and ungulates.

The wooden trestles mainly transmitted Lyme disease, babesiosis, and rarely encephalitis. The frequent in the warmer parts of Europe, however, occurring in Germany only in warmer areas such as the Upper Rhine Graben sheep tick ( Dermacentor marginatus ) transmits Q fever, tularemia, Hundebabesiose, the Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Rinderanaplasmose. The sheep tick stands out with a bright, colorful, email -like staining.

The " Lone Star Tick " ( Amblyomma americanum ) is mainly used in wet forests in the south of the USA (in Texas and states further north ) and transmits primarily the Rocky Mountain spotted fever, which Hundebabesiose and Lyme disease (Southern Tick- Associated Rash Illness ).

Species

The ticks are divided into 19 classes with up to 650 species.

422273
de