Rhipicephalus appendiculatus
Species of tick
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, the brown ear tick,[1] is a hard tick[2] found in Africa where it spreads the parasite Theileria parva, the cause of East Coast fever in cattle.[3] The tick has a three-host life-cycle, spending around 10% of its life feeding on animals.[2] The most common host species include buffalo, cattle, and large antelope,[2] but R. appendiculatus is also found on other animals, such as hares, dogs, and warthogs.[4]
| Rhipicephalus appendiculatus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Female (left) and male (right) | |
 | |
| R. appendiculatus in the ear of a calf | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Class: | Arachnida |
| Order: | Ixodida |
| Family: | Ixodidae |
| Genus: | Rhipicephalus |
| Species: | R. appendiculatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Rhipicephalus appendiculatus Neumann, 1901 | |
Rhipicephalus appendiculatus is found in the center, east and south-east of Africa,[4] in areas with at least 24 in (610 mm) of rainfall each year.[2]
R. appendiculatus is 1.8 to 4.4 mm (0.071 to 0.173 in) long, and is a dark reddish-brown or brown color.[1]
The sex pheromone used by female ticks to attract males for mating consists of two chemicals; phenol and p-cresol.[5]
R. appendiculatus produces an activator of calcium activated potassium channels, the function of which is unclear. It has been hypothesized that it may enhance the blood flow at the feeding site.[6]