''Dermacentor'' is a genus of
tick
Ticks are parasitic arachnids of the order Ixodida. They are part of the mite superorder Parasitiformes. Adult ticks are approximately 3 to 5 mm in length depending on age, sex, and species, but can become larger when engorged. Ticks a ...
s in the family
Ixodidae, the hard ticks. The genus has a
cosmopolitan distribution
In biogeography, a cosmopolitan distribution is the range of a taxon that extends across most or all of the surface of the Earth, in appropriate habitats; most cosmopolitan species are known to be highly adaptable to a range of climatic and en ...
, with native species on all continents except
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. Most are found in
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
.
Hosts of ''Dermacentor'' ticks include many large and small mammals, including
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...
s,
deer
A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...
,
cattle
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...
,
lagomorphs,
peccaries,
porcupine
Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp Spine (zoology), spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two Family (biology), families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New ...
s,
tapir
Tapirs ( ) are large, herbivorous mammals belonging to the family Tapiridae. They are similar in shape to a Suidae, pig, with a short, prehensile nose trunk (proboscis). Tapirs inhabit jungle and forest regions of South America, South and Centr ...
s,
desert bighorn sheep, and humans.
[ The American dog tick (''D. variabilis'') is a member of the genus.]pathogen
In biology, a pathogen (, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of"), in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a Germ theory of d ...
s, including '' Rickettsia rickettsii'', which causes the disease Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a bacterial disease spread by ticks. It typically begins with a fever and headache, which is followed a few days later with the development of a rash. The rash is generally Petechial rash, made up of small s ...
, ''Coxiella burnetii
''Coxiella burnetii'' is an obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen, and is the causative agent of Q fever. The genus ''Coxiella'' is morphologically similar to '' Rickettsia'', but with a variety of physiological differences genetically cla ...
'', which causes Q fever, '' Anaplasma marginale'', which causes anaplasmosis
Anaplasmosis is a tick-borne disease affecting ruminants, dogs, and horses, and is caused by ''Anaplasma'' bacteria. Anaplasmosis is an infectious but not contagious disease. Anaplasmosis can be transmitted through mechanical and biological vector ...
in cattle, '' Francisella tularensis'', which causes tularemia, ''Babesia caballi
''Babesia caballi'' is a species belonging to Alveolata and the family Babesiidae. In horses, it causes the babesiosis disease, called "equine babesiosis". Its length is 2.5-5 μm, while its width is 2 μm. It is usually oval-shaped. It ...
'', which causes equine piroplasmosis, and the '' Flavivirus'' that causes Powassan encephalitis.[ ''Dermacentor'' ticks inject a ]neurotoxin
Neurotoxins are toxins that are destructive to nervous tissue, nerve tissue (causing neurotoxicity). Neurotoxins are an extensive class of exogenous chemical neurological insult (medical), insultsSpencer 2000 that can adversely affect function ...
that causes tick paralysis
Tick paralysis is a type of paralysis caused by specific types of ticks. Unlike tick-borne diseases caused by infectious organisms, the illness is caused by a neurotoxin produced in the tick's salivary gland. After prolonged attachment, the en ...
.[
]
Species
As of 2019, about 41 species are placed in the genus:
*'' Dermacentor abaensis'' Teng, 1963
*'' Dermacentor albipictus'' Packard, 1869 – winter tick
*'' Dermacentor andersoni'' Stiles, 1908 – Rocky Mountain wood tick
*'' Dermacentor asper'' Arthur, 1960
*'' Dermacentor atrosignatus'' Neumann, 1906
*'' Dermacentor auratus'' Supino, 1897
*'' Dermacentor bellulus'' Schulze, 1933
*'' Dermacentor circumguttatus'' Neumann, 1897
*'' Dermacentor compactus'' Neumann, 1901
*'' Dermacentor confragus'' Schulze, 1933
*'' Dermacentor dispar'' Cooley, 1937
*'' Dermacentor dissimilis'' Cooley, 1947
*'' Dermacentor everestianus'' Hirst, 1926
*'' Dermacentor filippovae'' Apanaskevich & Apanaskevich, 2015[Dmitry A Apanaskevich, Stephen C Barker, ''Dermacentor kamshadalus'' (Acari: Ixodidae), a Tick of Mountain Goats and Sheep in Western United States, Canada, and Russia, Is a Valid Species, ''Journal of Medical Entomology'', tjaa190, https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjaa190.]
*'' Dermacentor laothaiensis'' Apanaskevich et al., 2019Dermacentor nitens
''Dermacentor'' is a genus of ticks in the family Ixodidae, the hard ticks. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with native species on all continents except Australia. Most are found in North America.
Hosts of ''Dermacentor'' ticks includ ...
'' Neumann, 1897
*'' Dermacentor niveus'' Neumann 1897
*'' Dermacentor nuttalli'' Olenev, 1928
*''Dermacentor occidentalis
''Dermacentor occidentalis'', also known as the Pacific coast tick, is a species of wood tick in the arthropod family Ixodidae. This species is part of the coastal California biome. Host species include humans. When not engorged with blood, they ...
'' Marx, 1892 - Pacific Coast tick
*'' Dermacentor panamensis'' Apanaskevich & Bermúdez, 2013[Dmitry Apanaskevich, Khamsing Vongphayloth, Pattraporn Jeangkhwoa, Aummarin Chaloemthanetphong, Arunee Ahantarig, Maria Apanaskevich, Paul T. Brey, Khaithong Lakeomany, Wachareeporn Trinachartvanit. 2020. Description of a new species of ''Dermacentor'' Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae) from the mountains of Laos and Thailand. ''Systematic Parasitology'', https://doi.org/10.1007/s11230-020-09916-6. Last accessed 11 Jun 2020.]
*'' Dermacentor pavlovskyi'' Olenev 1927
*'' Dermacentor pomerantzevi'' Serdyukova, 1951
*'' Dermacentor pseudocompactus'' Apanaskevich & Apanaskevich, 2016[Dmitry A. Apanaskevich and Maria A. Apanaskevich. 2016. Description of Two New Species of ''Dermacentor'' Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae) From Oriental Asia. ''Systematic Parasitology'' 2016 Feb;93(2):159-71. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11230-015-9614-8. Epub 2016 Jan 20.]
*'' Dermacentor raskemensis'' Pomerantsev, 1946
*'' Dermacentor reticulatus'' Fabricius, 1794 – ornate cow tick, ornate dog tick, meadow tick, marsh tick
*'' Dermacentor rhinocerinus'' Denny, 1843
*'' Dermacentor silvarum'' Olenev 1931
*'' Dermacentor sinicus'' Schulze, 1932
*'' Dermacentor steini'' Schulze, 1933
*'' Dermacentor taiwanensis'' Sugimoto, 1935
*'' Dermacentor tamokensis'' Apanaskevich & Apanaskevich, 2016
References
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2714520
Ticks
Acari genera
Parasitic arthropods of mammals
Ixodidae
Taxa named by Carl Ludwig Koch