Nuttalliella namaqua
| Nuttalliella namaqua | ||||||||||
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Nuttalliella namaqua |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the family | ||||||||||
| Nuttalliellidae | ||||||||||
| Schulze , 1935 | ||||||||||
| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||
| Nuttalliella | ||||||||||
| Bedford, 1931 | ||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||
| Nuttalliella namaqua | ||||||||||
| Bedford , 1931 |
The Nuttalliellia namaqua is a species from the order of the ticks . It is the only species in the Nuttalliellidae family. This family is seen as a transitional form between the leather ticks and the shield ticks . Nuttalliellia namaqua is considered a relic form that has retained original features. Their position in relation to the two larger tick families has been confirmed by molecular studies. This species has a partially sclerotized dorsal shield called a pseudo-scutum. The rest of the integument is leathery and more similar to that of the leather ticks.
Like all tick species, Nuttalliella namaqua sucks blood. The following host species have been identified so far: hyrax , meerkat , a karru rat species ( Parotomys brantsi ) and the lesser barred tern ( Hirundo abyssinica ). Experiments recently carried out for the first time suggest that lizard species are preferred hosts. The species has neither medical nor veterinary importance.
Its distribution area is mainly South and South West Africa, in particular the Republic of South Africa and Namibia , where the species has so far been found in no more than about 30 specimens in six locations. In 1976 it was also discovered in Tanzania . All sites are in arid areas.
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- J. Dönges: Parasitology. With special consideration of human pathogenic forms . Thieme, Stuttgart 1988
- H. Mehlhorn and G. Piekarski: Outline of parasite science. Heidelberg, 6th edition, 2002.
- Ben J. Mans, Daniel de Klerk, Ronel Pienaar, Abdalla A. Latif: Nuttalliella namaqua: A Living Fossil and Closest Relative to the Ancestral Tick Lineage: Implications for the Evolution of Blood-Feeding in Ticks. PLoS one 6, 8, e23675, 2011 doi : 10.1371 / journal.pone.0023675
- James E. Keirans, Carleton M. Clifford, Harry Hoogstraal, Emmett R. Eaton: Discovery of Nuttalliella namaqua Bedford (Acarina: Ixodoidea: Nuttalliellidae) in Tanzania and Redescription of the Female Based on Scanning Electron Microcopy. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 69, 5, pp. 926-932, 1976
- GAH Bedford: Nuttalliella namaqua, a new genus and species of tick . Parasitology, 23, 2, pp. 230–232, 1931 doi : 10.1017 / S0031182000013573 (first description of the genus and species)