Contributions to the phylogeny of Ixodes (Pholeoixodes) canisuga I. (Ph.) kaiseri I. (Ph.) hexagonus and a simple pictorial key for the identification of their females

摘要

BackgroundIn Europe, hard ticks of the subgenus Pholeoixodes (Ixodidae: Ixodes) are usually associated with burrow-dwelling mammals and terrestrial birds. Reports of Pholeoixodes spp. from carnivores are frequently contradictory, and their identification is not based on key diagnostic characters. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to identify ticks collected from dogs, foxes and badgers in several European countries, and to reassess their systematic status with molecular analyses using two mitochondrial markers.