Difference between revisions of "Tick Life Cycle"

Revision as of 21:54, 18 May 2010

Ixodes ricinus mating - Wikimedia Commons

Ticks are temporary parasites so only spend a short period of their lives on the host species

When larvae are seeking a host they are known as seed ticks

Both hard and soft ticks have the same life cycle
- Egg → larva → nymph → adult

Soft ticks feed little and often and on many hosts

Hard ticks

Classified depending on the number of host species they parasitise during their life cycle

Take one blood meal at each life cycle stage which lasts several days

One-host ticks
- Each stage feeds and develops on one host (the same host)
- E.g. Boophillus spp.

Two-host ticks
- Larvae and nymphs feed on one host
- Adults feed on a second host
- E.g. Hyalomma

Three-host ticks
- Each stage feeds and develops on a different host
- E.g. Ixodes spp.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{OpenPagesTop}}
 [[Image:Ticks mating.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''Ixodes ricinus'' mating - Wikimedia Commons]]
-[[Image:Ixodidae life cycle.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Life cycle of Ixodidae family ticks - CDC, Wikimedia Commons]]
+*Ticks are temporary parasites so only spend a short period of their lives on the host species
-==Overview==
+*When larvae are seeking a host they are known as '''seed ticks'''
-Ticks are temporary ectoparasites meaning that they only spend a short period of their lives on the host species, the rest of the time is spent free living in the environment. Tick life cycles consist of 3 stages; larva, nymph and adult. Between each life stage the tick must take at least one blood meal in order to develop to the next stage or to produce eggs. Hard ticks take a single large blood meal at each life stage whereas soft ticks feed in smaller meals more frequently and can do so on many hosts.
-==Hard ticks==
+*Both hard and soft ticks have the same life cycle
-Hard ticks can be classified by the number of host species they parasitise during their life cycle.
+**Egg → larva → nymph → adult
-===One-host ticks===
+*Soft ticks feed little and often and on '''many hosts'''
-::These ticks will feed at each stage and develop on the same host. This group includes the genus [[Boophilus spp.|''Boophillus'']].
-===Two-host ticks===
-:: In these species both the larvae and nymphs feed and develop on the same host. The nymphs will leave the host once they have taken a meal and develop into adults which will feed on a new host. The genus [[Hyalomma spp.|''Hyalomma'']] is an example of two host ticks.
-===Three-host ticks===
+'''Hard ticks'''
-::Each stage of the three host ticks life cycle will feed on a different host species. In general the size of the host will increase with each feed as the size of the tick increases. The [[Ixodes spp.|''Ixodes'']] genus of ticks are three host feeders.
+*Classified depending on the number of host species they parasitise during their life cycle
-==Soft Ticks==
+*Take one blood meal at each life cycle stage which lasts several days
-The soft ticks life cycle almost always involves multiple hosts. They feed once as larvae before moulting to become a nymph, this is followed by several more nymphal stages each involving a blood meal before moulting. Moulting takes place off the host, therefore it is common for each feed to take place on a different host. As adults the females lay multiple small batches of eggs off the host after each feed. The amount of time the soft ticks take for each blood meal is considerably shorter than that of the hard ticks and so they do not engorge to as great an extent.
-{{Learning
+*'''One-host ticks'''
-|flashcards = [[Ticks_Flashcards|Ticks Flashcards]]
+**Each stage feeds and develops on one host (the same host)
-|literature search = [http://www.cabdirect.org/search.html?q=title:(%22tick%22)+AND+title:(%22life+cycle%22)&fq=subject_facet:%22Acari%22 Tick life cycle publications]
+**E.g. ''Boophillus spp.''
-}}
+*'''Two-host ticks'''
+**Larvae and nymphs feed on one host
+**Adults feed on a second host
+**E.g. ''Hyalomma''
-{{review}}
+*'''Three-host ticks'''
+**Each stage feeds and develops on a different host
-{{OpenPages}}
+**E.g. ''Ixodes spp.''[[Category:Ticks]]
-[[Category:Ticks|A]]
-[[Category:Expert_Review]]

Difference between revisions of "Tick Life Cycle"

Revision as of 21:54, 18 May 2010

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