Hyalomma (Hyalommina) hussaini Sharif, 1928

Apanaskevich, Dmitry A., Horak, Ivan G. & Geevarghese, Geevarghese, 2009, The genus Hyalomma Koch, 1844. VIII. Redescription of three Hyalommina Schulze, 1919 species (Acari: Ixodidae) from South Asia with notes on their biology, Zootaxa 2050, pp. 31-55 : 39-47

Hyalomma (Hyalommina) hussaini Sharif, 1928

( Figs. 7–12 )

Type specimens. Syntypes (sex not indicated; not quantified) ex cattle from Akola Town in the Central Provinces [now Maharashtra State, India]; deposited in the Indian Museum, reg. № 57/18 (Kolkata, India) (p. 317, Sharif 1928).

Material studied. A total of 31 males, 26 females, 7 nymphs and 32 larvae that originated from India, Myanmar and Pakistan were examined in the current study.

Synonym. Hyalomma hussaini forma typica Sharif, 1928

Description. Male ( Figs. 7 , 8 )

Conscutum ( Fig. 7 ): length 2.21–2.93 (2.65 ± 0.17, n = 25), width 1.34–1.82 (1.65 ± 0.12, n = 25), ratio length:width 1.51–1.76 (1.61 ± 0.06, n = 25); dark red-brown; sparse large punctations mainly on anterior part of conscutum, lateral and caudal fields. Spiracular plate ( Fig. 8 C): perforated portion of prolongation very broad.

Female ( Figs. 9 , 10 )

Scutum ( Fig. 9 ): length 1.62–1.88 (1.75 ± 0.08, n = 19), width 1.52–1.85 (1.69 ± 0.09, n = 19), ratio length:width 1.00–1.06 (1.03 ± 0.02, n = 19); usually dark red-brown; large, deep punctations sparse, evenly distributed over scutum. Genital structures ( Fig. 10 A): genital aperture very wide, arcuate (U-shaped); vestibular portion of vagina markedly bulging; preatrial fold of genital aperture bulging anteriorly and sloping sharply posteriorly ( Fig. 10 B).

Nymph ( Fig. 11 )

Scutum ( Fig. 11 A): length 449–525 (487±27.51, n=6), width 453–533 (494±27.59, n=6), ratio length:width 0.88–1.06 (0.99±0.07, n=6), distance between posterior margin of eyes and posterior margin of scutum 151–175 (156±9.63, n=6), width:length of posterior portion of scutum 2.82–3.39 (3.16±0.22, n=6); slight posterolateral depressions on either side of scutal extremity.

Basis capituli ( Figs. 11 D, E): length 312–376 (351±21.97, n=6); width 292–332 (313±16.33, n=6), ratio length:width 1.07–1.15 (1.12±0.03, n=6); ventrally lateral saliences with moderate spur directed posteriorly. Palpi (segment II) ( Figs. 11 D, E): length 140–176 (158±11.48, n=6), width 45–48 (47±1.09, n=6), ratio length:width 3.04–3.83 (3.37±0.26, n=6). Hypostome ( Fig. 11 E): length 144–178 (165±11.64, n=6), width 50–54 (52±1.26, n=6), ratio length:width 2.77–3.42 (3.18±0.23, n=6); rounded at apex; 7 or 8 large denticles in median file.

Coxae ( Fig. 11 F): coxae II with large triangular spur.

Larva ( Fig. 12 )

Scutum ( Fig. 12 A): length 208–232 (223±5.69, n=32), width 300–344 (325±9.21, n=32), ratio length:width 0.66–0.72 (0.69±0.01, n=32), distance from posterior margin of eyes to posterior margin of scutum 48–58 (53±2.32, n=32), ratio width:length of posterior portion 5.57–6.92 (6.15±0.31, n=32). Portion of scutum posterior to eyes nearly equal to 1/4 of scutal length.

Basis capituli ( Figs. 12 B, C): length 136–160 (147±5.60, n=32), width 150–164 (158±3.42, n=32), ratio length:width 0.89–1.00 (0.93±0.03, n=32). Palpi (segments II and III) ( Figs. 12 B, C): length 104–114 (109±2.18, n=32), width 32–34 (33±0.83, n=32), ratio length:width 3.12–3.44 (3.26±0.08, n=32). Hypostome ( Fig. 12 C): length 80–90 (86±2.33, n=32), width 22–24 (22±0.62, n=32), ratio length:width 3.58–4.00 (3.80±0.10, n=32); 6 large denticles in median file.

Genu I: length 114–128 (120±2.44, n=32), width 42–46 (44±1.40, n=7), ratio length:width 2.56–2.86 (2.69±0.10, n=7).

Hosts. The main hosts of the adults are large and medium-sized domestic and wild ungulates: cattle, buffaloes, camels, goats, sheep, pigs, horses and nilgai, B. tragocamelus . The adults have also been recorded from domestic dogs, a bear and humans (our data; Sharif 1928; Kaiser & Hoogstraal 1964; Miranpuri & Naithani 1978; Geevarghese & Dhanda 1987; Robbins et al. 2002).

The chief hosts of the immature stages are small mammals such as rodents and shrews. Larvae and nymphs have been recorded from: Asian house shrew, S. murinus , house rat, R. rattus, Indian bush rat, Golunda ellioti Gray, Indian desert jird, Meriones hurrianae Jordon and rock-loving mouse, M. saxicola ( Singh & Dhanda 1965; Wattal & Srivastva 1967; Geevarghese & Dhanda 1987).

Geographic distribution. Asia: India, Myanmar and Pakistan (our data; Sharif 1928; Kaiser & Hoogstraal 1964; Geevarghese & Dhanda 1987; Robbins et al. 2002).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Hyalomma hussaini, male, conscutum. Scale bar = 1 mm. All setae are omitted.

FIGURE 8. Hyalomma hussaini, male. A—genital structures; B—anal plates; C—spiracular plate (a—anterior, d—dorsal); D—gnathosoma dorsally; E—gnathosoma ventrally; F—palp ventrally; G—hypostome; H—coxae. Scale bars: A = 200 μm; B, D, E, H = 500 μm; C, F, G = 400 μm. All setae are omitted except drawing F where only setae of palpal segment IV are omitted.

FIGURE 9. Hyalomma hussaini, female, scutum. Scale bar = 1 mm. All setae are omitted.

FIGURE 10. Hyalomma hussaini, female. A—genital structures; B—longitudinal cut through preatrial fold of genital aperture schematically (a—anterior, p—posterior); C—spiracular plate (a—anterior, d—dorsal); D—gnathosoma dorsally; E—gnathosoma ventrally; F—palp ventrally; G—hypostome; H—coxae. Scale bars: A = 200 μm; C, F, G = 400 μm; E, D, H = 500 μm. All setae are omitted except drawing F where only setae of palpal segment IV are omitted.

FIGURE 11. Hyalomma hussaini, nymph. A—scutum; B—seta of alloscutum; C—spiracular plate (a—anterior, d—dorsal); D—gnathosoma dorsally; E—gnathosoma ventrally; F—coxae. A = 400 μm; B, C = 50 μm; D, E, F = 200 μm. All setae are omitted except drawings D and E where only setae of palpal segment IV are omitted.

FIGURE 12. Hyalomma hussaini, larva. A—scutum; B—gnathosoma dorsally; C—gnathosoma ventrally; D—coxae. Scale bars: A = 150 μm; B, C, D = 100 μm. All setae are omitted except drawings B and C where only setae of palpal segment IV are omitted.