title: First description of the male and redescription of the female of Ixodes tapirus Kohls, 1956 (Acari: Ixodidae), a parasite of tapirs (Perissodactyla: Tapiridae) from the mountains of Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama.
abstract: The male of Ixodes tapirus Kohls, 1956 (Acari: Ixodidae) is described for the first time and the female is redescribed in greater detail. Adults of I. tapirus are similar to those of Ixodes guatemalensis Kohls, 1956, Ixodes lasallei Méndez & Ortiz, 1958, Ixodes montoyanus Cooley, 1944 and Ixodes venezuelensis Kohls, 1953 but can be distinguished by their overall size, the amount of sclerotisation of the conscutum and accessory plates, the shape of the scutum, the number of punctations and their pattern on the conscutum and scutum, the depth of the punctations on the basis capituli dorsally, the shape and size of the porose areas and the size and shape of the auriculae. Adults of I. tapirus were collected from tapirs and vegetation in the mountains of Colombia, Panama and recorded from Costa Rica for the first time.
authors.affiliation: United States National Tick Collection, James H. Oliver, Jr. Institute for Coastal Plain Science, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, 30460-8056, USA.
authors.forename: Dmitry A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Apanaskevich
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Investigación en Entomología Médica, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud, Panama, Panama.
authors.forename: Lillian G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Domínguez
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Investigación en Entomología Médica, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud, Panama, Panama.
authors.forename: Sugeys S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.affiliation: Museo de Peces de Agua Dulce e Invertebrados, Universidad Autónoma de Chiriquí, David, Panama.
authors.forename: Juan A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bernal
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Parasitología, Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Universidad Nacional, Heredia, Costa Rica.
authors.forename: Victor M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Montenegro
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Investigación en Entomología Médica, Instituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios de la Salud, Panama, Panama. sbermudez@gorgas.gob.pa.
authors.forename: Sergio E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Bermúdez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003105:Colombia; D003364:Costa Rica; D005260:Female; D018884:Ixodes / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification*; D008297:Male; D010176:Panama; D010527:Perissodactyla / Q000469:parasitology*; D010944:Plants / Q000469:parasitology; D013045:Species Specificity