A new species of Rhipicephalus (Acari: Ixodidae), a parasite of giraffes in Kenya.
A new tick species belonging to the genus Rhipicephalus Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae), namely, Rhipicephalus walkerae n. sp., is described. The male and female of this species are similar to those of several species in the Rhipicephalus appendiculatus group but can be distinguished from them by the very dense pattern of medium-sized punctations covering the conscutum and scutum, long and narrow dorsal prolongation of the spiracular plate, and relatively short dorsal cornua; in addition, the male has long and narrow adanal plates without a posterolateral angle. R. walkerae is known only from Kenya, where the adults were collected from giraffes, Giraffa camelopardalis (L.).
Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa.
Ivan G
IG
Horak
Dmitry A
DA
Apanaskevich
Edward K
EK
Kariuki
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007630:Kenya; D008297:Male; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning / Q000662:veterinary; D048494:Rhipicephalus / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D012418:Ruminants / Q000469:parasitology*