Rhipicephalus appendiculatus explained

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.

Rhipicephalus appendiculatus is found in the center, east and south-east of Africa,^[4] in areas with at least 24inches of rainfall each year.

R. appendiculatus is 1.8mm4.4mm long, and is a dark reddish-brown or brown color.

The sex pheromone used by female ticks to attract males for mating consists of two chemicals; phenol and p-cresol.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Book: Taylor. M.A.. Coop. R.L.. Wall. R.L.. Veterinary Parasitology. 2016. John Wiley & Sons. 9780470671627. 249. 4th. Rhipicephalus appendiculatus (brown ear tick).
2. Web site: Rhipicephalus appendiculatus. 2018-05-06. The Center for Food Security & Public Health, Iowa State University. September 2009.
3. Protecting Africa's cattle with a live vaccine: An East Coast fever impact narrative. ILRI Research Brief. 24. International Livestock Research Institute. 2018-05-06. September 2014.
4. Book: Walker. Jane B.. Keirans. James E.. Horak. Ivan G.. The Genus Rhipicephalus (Acari, Ixodidae): A Guide to the Brown Ticks of the World. 2005. Cambridge University Press. 9781316583746. 59–71. Chapter 7. Accounts of individual species occurring in the Afrotropical region. Rhipicephalus appendiculatus Neumann 1901.
5. Wood . William F. . Leahy . Mary G.. . Galun . R. . Prestwich . G. D. . Meinwald . J. . Purnell . R. E. . Payne . J. . 1975 . Phenols as Sex Pheromones of Ixodid Ticks: A General Phenomen? . J. Chemical Ecology . 1 . 501–509 . 10.1007/BF00988590.