Life cycle of tortoise tick Hyalomma aegyptium under laboratory conditions

0363332 - BC 2012 RIV NL eng J - Journal Article
Široký, P. - Erhart, Jan - Petrželková, Klára Judita - Kamler, M.
Life cycle of tortoise tick Hyalomma aegyptium under laboratory conditions.
Experimental and Applied Acarology. Roč. 54, č. 3 (2011), 277-284. ISSN 0168-8162. E-ISSN 1572-9702
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60930519; CEZ:AV0Z60220518
Keywords : Hyalomma aegyptium * Testudo * Life-cycle * Laboratory rearing
Subject RIV: GJ - Animal Vermins ; Diseases, Veterinary Medicine
Impact factor: 1.725, year: 2011

The tortoise tick Hyalomma aegyptium has a typical 3-host life-cycle. Combination of feeding larvae and nymphs on guinea pigs and feeding of adults on Testudo marginata provided the best results in our study. Feeding period of females was on average 25 days, whereas males remain after female engorgement on tortoise host. Female pre-oviposition period was 14 days, oviposition lasted 24 days. Pre-eclosion and eclosion, both together, took 31 days. Larvae fed 5 days, then molted to nymphs after 17 days. Feeding period of nymphs lasted 7 days, engorged nymphs molted to adults after 24 days. Sex ratio of laboratory hatched H. aegyptium was nearly equal (1:1.09). The average weight of engorged female was 0.95 g. The average number of laid eggs was 6,9 per female. Only 2.8% of engorged larvae and 1.8% of engorged nymphs remained un-molted and died. Despite the use of natural host species, feeding success of females reached only 45%. The whole life-cycle was completed within 147 days.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0199293