Difference between revisions of "Tick Life Cycle"

Revision as of 11:16, 8 July 2010

Ixodes ricinus mating - Wikimedia Commons

Life cycle of Ixodidae family ticks - CDC, Wikimedia Commons

Overview

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. Ticks 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 where as soft ticks feed in smaller meals more frequently and can do so on many hosts.

Hard ticks

Hard ticks can be classified by the number of host species they parasitise during their life cycle.

One-host ticks

These ticks will feed at each stage and develop on the same host. This group includes the genus 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 is an example of two host ticks.

Three-host 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 genus of ticks are three host feeders.

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+{{unfinished}}
 [[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
-*When larvae are seeking a host they are known as '''seed ticks'''
-*Both hard and soft ticks have the same life cycle
+==Overview==
-**Egg → larva → nymph → adult
+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. Ticks 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 where as soft ticks feed in smaller meals more frequently and can do so on many hosts.
-*Soft ticks feed little and often and on '''many hosts'''
-'''Hard ticks'''
+==Hard ticks==
-*Classified depending on the number of host species they parasitise during their life cycle
+Hard ticks can be classified by 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===
+::These ticks will feed at each stage and develop on the same host. This group includes the genus ''Boophillus''.
-*'''One-host ticks'''
+===Two-host ticks===
-**Each stage feeds and develops on one host (the same host)
+:: 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'' is an example of two host ticks.
-**E.g. ''Boophillus spp.''
-*'''Two-host ticks'''
+===Three-host ticks===
-**Larvae and nymphs feed on one host
+::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'' genus of ticks are three host feeders.
-**Adults feed on a second host
-**E.g. ''Hyalomma''
-*'''Three-host ticks'''
+[[Category:Ticks]]
-**Each stage feeds and develops on a different host
+[[Category:To_Do_-_NickJ]]
-**E.g. ''Ixodes spp.''[[Category:Ticks]]
-[[Category:To_Do_-_Parasites]]