Rhipicephalus sanguineus

SPECIES: Rhipicephalus sanguineus (order Acarina) (hard tick)

COMMON NAME: Dog tick

SIZE: Length: 1-2 mm to 10-15 mm

LIFECYCLE/DIET: Egg-Larva-Nymph-Adult. Throughout its life, it feeds only three times, once for each stage. Meals last 2-3 days for the larva and 7-9 for the female, after which the tick drops to the ground. Between each blood meal, the tick spends several months during which it digests, moults to a later stage, and waits for a new host. Once it becomes an adult, it reproduces: the female lays thousands of eggs on the ground and dies. Lifecycle period: 4-5 months (under optimal conditions).

FEATURES: Its usual host is the dog, but occasionally, and in the absence of these, the tick will feed on other animals (cattle) and humans.

HABITAT: When not feeding off its host, the parasite lives in the cracks of walls or the ground, in kennels, between stones, and all those places that dogs like, such as the interiors of houses and apartments. These ticks are well adapted to the climatic conditions and vegetation of the countries of the Mediterranean basin.

DAMAGE: The dog tick is considered the largest vector for Mediterranean spotted fever in the Mediterranean, which is caused by Rickettsia conorii. Ticks are believed to be responsible for Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE).

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