| Summary: | Based on a literature review, as well as on our own data, 14 ixodid tick species belonging to 5 genera were registered for the lizard hosts of the genus <i>Lacerta</i> (<i>L. agilis</i>, <i>L. media</i>, and <i>L. strigata</i>) in the Caucasus and the adjacent territories: <i>Haemaphysalis sulcata</i>, <i>Haem. punctata</i>, <i>Haem. parva</i>, <i>Haem. caucasica</i>, <i>Haem. concinna</i>, <i>Haem. inermis</i>, <i>Ixodes ricinus</i>, <i>I. redikorzevi</i>, <i>Dermacentor marginatus</i>, <i>D. reticulatus</i>, <i>Hyalomma marginatum</i>, <i>Rhipicephalus bursa</i>, <i>Rh. rossicum</i>, and <i>Rh. turanicum</i>. Tick species <i>Haem. caucasica</i> were recorded from Armenia for the first time. Our findings of <i>Haem. punctata</i> represent the first record of this species for Chechnya, Ingushetia (Russia), Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Most of the parasite species are associated with <i>L. agilis</i> (13) and <i>L. strigata</i> (12); <i>L. media</i> is a host of 6 tick species. Data on the infestation of <i>Lacerta</i> spp. by four tick species from our material (<i>I. ricinus</i>, <i>Haem. punctata</i>, <i>Haem. caucasica</i>, and <i>Hyal. marginatum</i>) are presented in the article. In addition, our article contains information on the range of infections associated with the above tick species. Castor bean tick <i>I. ricinus</i> (236 specimens), the most represented species in our collection, parasitizes all available terrestrial vertebrates including humans and can be vector of many various pathogens, so our study provides significant epidemiological information.
|
|---|