Soft ticks (Order Metastigmata: Family Argasidae)

Abstract

There are about iso species of soft ticks (Argasidae), contained in four genera — Argas, Ornithodoros, Otobius and Antricola but only the first three contain species that commonly attack man. Species of Antricola occur mainly on bats in the Americas, while species of Argas are principally parasitic on domestic and wild birds and also bats, but one species, Argas persicus, often attacks man. Otobius parasitise a wide variety of domestic and wild animals, a common species being Otobius megnini which sometimes bites man. The medically important soft ticks belong to the genus Ornithodoros and the most important vector species include the Ornithodoros moubata complex, O. erraticus, O. tholozani, O. hermsi, O. talaje, O. turicata, O. rudis ( = venezuelensis) and O. verrucosus. Soft ticks are sometimes called tampan or non-scutate ticks.