TICKS & FLEAS
TICKS
Class: Arachnida Subclass: Acari Order: Parasitiformes Hemimetabolous Life Cycle: -Larval, nymphal, adult -larval ticks hatch with 6 legs, gain the other two after blood meal and molt into nymph stage Vector for: Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Colorado tick fever, African tick bite fever, Crimean Congo hemorrhagic fever, tularemia, tick-borne relapsing fever, ehrlichiosis, tick-borne meningoencephalitis, bovine anaplasmosis, Heartland virus. Predators: The guineafowl, chalcid wasps Examples: The lone star tick: Amblyomma americanum [4] Blacklegged ticks/Deer Ticks: Ixodes scapularis [5] |
FLEAS
Class: Insecta Subclass: Pterygota Order: Siphonaptera Holometabolous Life Cycle: - Egg, larva, pupa, adult Vector for: Tungiasis, bubonic plague, murine typhus, rickettsial diseases, flea borne spotted fever Predators: Snakes, ants, beetles, spiders, frogs, lizards, "beneficial" nematodes Examples: The "Human Flea": Pulex irritans [6] The "dog" Flea: Ctenocephalides canis [7] |
BOTH
Phylum: Arthropoda Shared Characteristics of Arthropods: -segmented body -paired, segmented appendages -bilateral symmetry -possessing an exoskeleton -open circulatory system -paired ventral nerve cord [8] Both fleas and ticks flourish in warm climates. The ideal temperature for these parasites is within the 70 to 85 degree range, but they can live in cooler and warmer temperatures as well. Low temperatures inhibit their development from egg to larva. [9] Mode of Action : bites Ectoparasites Obligate Hematophages Hematophagy- drink blood of mammals and birds (sometimes amphibians and reptiles) Both may die without blood meal during adult stage, or not complete metamorphosis without a blood meal between molts. two primary sections: the anterior capitulum: head and mouth parts; posterior idiosoma: legs, digestive tract, reproductive organs. |