Haemaphysalis (Rhipistoma) dentipalpis Warburton & Nuttall, 1909 (Acari: Ixodidae) is reinstated here as a valid species and the male is redescribed whereas the female is described for the first time. The adults of H. dentipalpis that we studied were collected from various felid and viverrid carnivorans (Carnivora: Felidae, Viverridae) in Indonesia and Malaysia. For comparative purposes, the male and female of H. (R.) asiatica (Supino, 1897) are redescribed. The adults of H. asiatica that we studied were from various felid and viverrid carnivorans (Carnivora: Felidae, Viverridae) as well as a treeshrew (Scandentia: Tupaiidae) in Thailand and Vietnam. The males and females of both H. dentipalpis and H. asiatica can be differentiated by the pattern of punctations on the conscutum and scutum and the shape and size of the posterodorsal and posteroventral spurs on palpal segment II.
Ixodes abramovi n. sp. (Acari: Ixodidae) is described based on females ex various rodents (Rodentia: Muridae) from Malaysia and Vietnam. Females of this new species are similar to those of some other Oriental species of the subgenus Ixodes Latreille, 1795 such as I. granulatus Supino, 1897 and I. werneri Kohls, 1950, from which they can be distinguished by the size of scutum, length of cornua, shape and length of auriculae and length of spurs on coxae.
A new tick species belonging to the genus Dermacentor Koch, 1844, namely, Dermacentor limbooliati n. sp., is described. Adults of this species are similar to those of Dermacentor auratus Supino, 1897 and Dermacentor compactus Neumann, 1901, with which it was previously confused. Males of D. limbooliati may be distinguished from those of D. auratus and D. compactus by the following suite of characters: relatively broad conscutum with slightly straightened lateral sides, conscutum widest approximately at mid-length, oval shape of pseudoscutum, central brown patch in the center of pseudoscutum broad and diffused and not continuous with central patch in posteromedian area, conscutum posterior to pseudoscutum rugose, wide and blunt internal spur on coxa I, relatively long, narrow, and pointed external spur on coxa I, numerous internal spurs on coxa IV and trochanter I with moderate and broadly triangular spur with tapering apex. Females of D. limbooliati may be distinguished from those of D. auratus and D. compactus by the following suite of characters: rounded shape of scutum, central brown patch broad and diffused in the center of scutum, relatively long alloscutum setae, genital aperture moderately narrow V-shaped with preatrial fold bulging, wide and blunt internal spur on coxa I, relatively long, narrow, and pointed external spur on coxae I and trochanter I with moderate and broadly triangular spur with tapering apex. D. limbooliati is known from Malaysia and Vietnam where the adults were collected from vegetation, Sus scrofa resting beds, a human, and clothing. The immature stages remain unknown.
Dermacentor tamokensis n. sp. and Dermacentor pseudocompactus n. sp. (Acari: Ixodidae) are described based on adults ex wild boar and vegetation from China, India, Malaysia, and Vietnam and males ex wild boar from Nepal, respectively. Adults of D. tamokensis n. sp. are similar to those of D. taiwanensis Sugimoto, 1935 and D. atrosignatus Neumann, 1906 but can be distinguished by the colour pattern of the conscutum and scutum, the size and density of punctations on the pseudoscutum and scutum, the width of the cornua, and the shape of female genital structures. Males of D. pseudocompactus n. sp. are most similar to those of D. compactus Neumann, 1901 but can be distinguished by the colour pattern, sculpture and punctations of the conscutum, and the shape and length of the coxal spurs.
Identifying certain species of Dermacentor ticks in Malaysia is challenging as there is no comprehensive work on their systematics and lack of specific taxonomic keys. In this study, we described and characterized D. steini ticks collected from a forest reserve in the vicinity of the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia using integrated phenotypic and genotypic traits. In total two males and three females of questing D. steini ticks were morphologically identified using specific illustrated taxonomic keys based on their special characters. Further confirmation and characterization of the tick species were then examined using PCR, followed by sequencing partial mitochondrial 16S rDNA gene (mt-rrs). Clustering analysis based on mt-rrs was carried out by constructing neighbor-joining tree topology to clarify the genetic variation of local D. steini. Based on external morphological characterizations, all ticks were successfully identified down to the species as adult D. steini. The molecular traits based on phylogenetic tree provide very strong support for the monophyletic clade of D. steini including high percentages of similarity (97-100%) with available sequences in GenBank. Furthermore, a low intraspecific variation (4%) among the species of D. steini was observed but it was genetically different from other Dermacentor species with high interspecific value (8-15%). These findings produced the first genotypic data of D. steini using 16S rDNA gene which confirmed the presence of this species in Malaysia. Moreover, this study supports the taxonomic status of local D. steini and adds to the knowledge of accurate identification of ticks.
Re-examination of the holotype of Dermacentor atrosignatus Neumann, 1906 (Acari: Ixodidae) stored in the Natural History Museum (London, UK) revealed that this taxon is identical with D. auratus Supino, 1897 and should be treated as a junior synonym of the latter species. A correct name for the distinct species previously identified as D. atrosignatus Neumann, 1906 sensu Wassef & Hoogstraal, 1984 should be D. tricuspis (Schulze, 1933) n. comb., n. stat. Adults of D. tricuspis are redescribed here. Re-examination of extensive holdings of Oriental Dermacentor Koch, 1844 ticks stored in the United States National Tick Collection revealed that a morphologically distinct new species of this genus, namely D. falsosteini D. Apanaskevich, M. Apanaskevich & Nooma n. sp. should be recognized. Adults of D. tricuspis and D. falsosteini n. sp. can be distinguished from other species of Oriental Dermacentor and each other by the colour pattern of the conscutum and scutum, the pattern of punctations on the pseudoscutum and scutum, the shape of female genital structures and spurs on coxa I. Dermacentor tricuspis is recorded from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand where the adults were mostly collected from various species of wild pigs (Artiodactyla: Suidae) and vegetation; few adults were available from other mammals (Artiodactyla: Bovidae; Carnivora: Canidae, Felidae, Ursidae; Pholidota: Manidae), as well as humans and reptiles (Squamata: Elapidae, Varanidae). One male was reared from a nymph collected on a rodent (Rodentia: Muridae). Dermacentor falsosteini n. sp. is found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand where the adults were collected from bearded pig, Sus barbatus Müller, wild boar, S. scrofa Linnaeus, unidentified wild pig, Sus sp. (Artiodactyla: Suidae), Malayan tapir, Tapirus indicus Desmarest (Perissodactyla: Tapiridae), human and vegetation.
Questing is a situation when a tick is seeking to get closer or ambush its potential host. However, information on questing tick species in Malaysia is still lacking, thus the association with tick-borne diseases (TBD) is not completely understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the tick species from five most frequently visited recreational areas in Pahang and Terengganu states, which were recorded to have high potential of TBD cases. By implementing handpick method, a total of 18 males and 15 females belonging to five Dermacentor Koch, 1844 species, were collected, namely D. compactus Neumann 1901, D. tricuspis (Schulze, 1933), D. auratus Supino 1897, D. steini (Schulze, 1933), and D. falsosteini Apanaskevich, Apanaskevich & Nooma respectively. The specimens were collected and identified based on morphological characters prior to obtaining the molecular data of COI and 16S rDNA. The D. compactus was the most abundant species collected in this study, while D. falsosteini was the least. All species were distinctly separated on the Neighbor Joining and Maximum Parsimony tree topologies and supported with high bootstrap values. Furthermore, a low intraspecific variation (0.00 - 0.01) was observed amongst the individuals of the same species in both genes. Meanwhile, each Dermacentor species was genetically different, with interspecific values ranging from 0.13-0.19 and 0.11-0.20 for COI and 16S rDNA. These findings had successfully recorded the tick species that were potentially associated with TBD, and which might be circulated among humans and animals. This study also has some implications on the diversity and geographical extension of Dermacentor ticks, thus should warrant further investigation as a potential vector of tick-borne diseases and public health importance.