Dermacentor auratus is a hard-bodied tick of the genus Dermacentor. It is found in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Vietnam.[1] The length from capitulum to middle festoon is 7 mm and maximum breadth at its mid length is 5 mm. Adult has highly ornate scutum, capitulum, and legs. A pair of eyes was present at the level of second coxae. Brown base color markings on the dorsal scutum is the characteristic feature.
Adults are a potential vector for numerous strains of Anaplasma platys, Rickettsia, Hepatozoon species, and more recently for Lanjan virus.[2] It is an ectoparasite of wild pigs, deer, humans, and possibly pythons.[3]
The complete mitochondrial genome of Dermacentor auratus has been described in 2021. The circularised genome has a total length of 14,766 bp and contains 37 genes, including 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 2 non-coding control regions and 3 "tick-boxes".[4]