Ecological Notes On Rhipicephalus Turanicus Pomerantzev In West Bengal, India (Acarina: Ixodidae)1

Abstract

Ticks were collected from dogs in Ratanpur, West Bengal, India, at monthly intervals through 1965. RHIPICEPHALUS TURANICUS Pomerantzev, the only species of this genus encountered in this survey, is reported from India for the first time. Adults were found on dogs each month of the year, and immature stages were present on 4 rodent and 1 insectivore species. Larvae were not found on dogs, and nymphs only rarely. The population peak of adults on dogs occurred in September, near the end of the monsoon, ♀♀ began ovipositing 3–11 days after collection and continued for 4–8 days. At 80% rh and 28–31°C eggs began to hatch in 16–23 days, and 95% or more hatched within 2–4 days following initiation of hatching.