title: Argas persicus sensu stricto does occur in Australia.
abstract: The status of Argas persicus in Australia has been a matter of controversy for over 25 years. Although early records of A. persicus sensu stricto are common, a major revision of the genus indicated that these records refer to A. robertsi, first described in 1968 from northern Australia, and to an "undescribed" member of the complex occurring in the south. Here, we show that A. persicus sensu stricto does occur in southern Australia and is the only species of Argas in the area recorded from poultry. Another undescribed species belonging to the A. persicus complex, from crows' nests near Lake Eyre in South Australia, was also discovered. This information is of considerable epidemiological significance, as A. persicus sensu stricto is a major vector for a number of highly pathogenic diseases of poultry, not all of which have yet been recorded from Australia.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, SA 5001 Adelaide, Australia. trevor.petney@t-online.de
authors.forename: T N
authors.initials: TN
authors.lastname: Petney
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Andrews
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: McDiarmid
authors.forename: B R
authors.initials: BR
authors.lastname: Dixon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D026864:Argas / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D004199:Disease Vectors; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000469:parasitology; D012313:RNA / Q000032:analysis; D000077278:RNA, Mitochondrial; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000032:analysis; D013021:South Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D000077278:RNA, Mitochondrial; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal; D012313:RNA; D004247:DNA