[Redescription of Dermacentor raskemensis Pomerantzev, 1946 (Ixodidae)--a representative of the mountain fauna of the southern regions of the USSR and adjacent territories].
A redescription of female and male of the little-known species Dermacentor raskemensis Pomerantzev has been made on the holotype (male, West China, Sinkiang) and on collection material of Zoological Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and Institute of Zoology of Armenian SSR: three females and males from Armenia and western Pakistan. Despite a considerable remoteness of their distribution areas all studied specimens show stability of their specific characters and differ distinctly from the close species D. niveus Neumann and D. everestianus Hirst. The both sexes (especially female) of D. raskemensis differ in having peculiar, most complete (in the ranges of the genus) filing of the dorsal shield area with dense light pigment and by prevalence of very small punctation and the lack of contrast between it and larger punctation. Peritreme of D. raskemensis male has a long narrow dorsal process which is at the right angel to its longitudinal axis and slightly concave along the hind edge. The dorsal process of the female is well developed and is at the right or acute angles to the longitudinal axis. In addition the both sexes have a wide smooth thickening along the anterior edge of the process, the proportions of peritreme are specific in species. In close species the dorsal process of peritreme is at the blunt angle to its longitudinal axis, in D. everestianus the thickening along the anterior edge is missing. Female of D. raskemensis lacks wing-shaped appendages of the genital opening while in D. niveus they are distinct (the structure is not mentioned in the description of D everestianus). D. raskenmensis apparently inhabits highlands and meadow-steppe, steppe and mountain sparce forest zones most part of which is covered by rocks and screes. In Armenia it was recorded from Armenian mouflon and wild goat; in other countries (Iran, Afghanistan, western Pakistan, India and China) it occurs on sheep and goats from alpine pastures. Most collections were done in autumn, winter and spring.
D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic / Q000469:parasitology; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000469:parasitology; D003870:Dermacentor / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification*; D004463:Ecology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D013987:Ticks / Q000145:classification*; D014586:USSR
Pereopisanie Dermacentor raskemensis Pomerantzev, 1946 (Ixodidae)--predstavitelia gornoĭ fauny iuzhnykh raĭonov SSSR i sopredel'nykh territoriĭ.