Haemaphysalis sulcata Canestrini and Fanzago, 1878

Distribution

This species occurs in many regions, including KP (Ghafar et al. 2020a; Alam et al. 2022; Aneela et al. 2023; Tila et al. 2023; Shehla et al. 2023; Khan M et al. 2023; Khan Z et al. 2024), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (Karim et al. 2017), Balochistan, and Punjab (McCarthy 1967; Begum et al. 1970b).

Morphological characters

Male (Fig. 23, A–D): Body elongate, approximately 3.82± 0.2 mm long and 1.95± 0.1 mm wide, dark or reddish brown; conscutum elongate, lateral grooves well defined, arising from level of coxae II and enclosing first festoon, cervical grooves deep and subparallel, eleven festoons, punctations sparse, of varying size and irregularly distributed; basis capituli length nearly equal to width, posterior margin straight, cornua robust, long and sharply pointed, palpi short, segment 2 with prominent arched lateral angles, hypostome same length as palpi, apex rounded, dental formula 6/6, with six rows of denticles; legs long and robust, coxa I with narrow, tapering spur, coxae II and III with very short and broad spurs, coxa IV with relatively long spur, curved laterally; genital aperture situated between coxae II, subcircular; spiracular plates broadly rounded with narrow dorsal prolongation.

Female (Fig. 23, E–H): Body approximately 3.70± 0.2 mm long and 2.08± 0.1 mm wide, colour as in male; scutum reddish and broadly ovate, with large, deep, dense punctations and sinuous posterior margin, cervical grooves deep and subparallel, narrow and deeper anteriorly, broader and shallow posteriorly, punctations deep, large and densely distributed; capitulum as in male, basis capituli 1.5 times wider than long; porose areas large and subcircular, widely separated, cornua very short or absent, palpi and hypostome similar to those of male; dental formula 4/4, rarely 5/5 or 3/3; legs long, moderately robust, coxal spurs absent or minute; genital aperture U-shaped with thickened posterior lip; spiracular plates subovate with reduced dorsal prolongation.