Haemaphysalis montgomeryi Nuttall, 1912

Ali, Abid, Almutairi, Mashal M., Robbins, Richard G., Chitimia-Dobler, Lidia & Ullah, Shafi, 2025, Updated checklist, morphological descriptions, hosts and vector potential of ticks (Acari: Argasidae, Ixodidae) in Pakistan, Zootaxa 5725 (2), pp. 151-202 : 175

Haemaphysalis montgomeryi Nuttall, 1912

Distribution

Haemaphysalis montgomeryi has been reported from Gilgit Baltistan ( Karim et al. 2017), KP ( Robertson et al. 1970; Ali et al. 2019, 2023c; Khan Z et al. 2022; Aneela et al. 2023; Tila et al. 2023; Khan SM et al. 2023; Majid et al. 2023; Khan M et al. 2023; Ullah S et al. 2024), Azad Kashmir ( Hoogstraal et al. 1966), Punjab, Sindh, and northern areas ( McCarthy 1967; Begum et al. 1970b).

Morphological characters

Male ( Fig. 22 , A–D): Body small, ovoid, approximately 2.25± 0.15 mm long and 1.38± 0.1 mm wide, yellowish to brownish-yellow; scutum elongate, 1.5 times longer than wide, with glossy surface, widest just anterior to spiracular dorsal projection, lateral grooves short, shallow, arising at level of coxae III and enclosing first festoon, cervical grooves deep, short and subparallel, punctations shallow, sparse and small, eleven festoons; capitulum short and stout, basis capituli 1.3 times longer than wide, lateral and posterior margins straight, cornua short, broadly triangular with sharp or bluntly pointed ends, palpi short and compact, without basolateral projections, segment 1 short, segment 2 slightly longer than wide, segment 3 shorter than segment 2, ventrally segments 2 and 3 with pointed spurs, hypostome same length as palpi, nearly 2.5 times longer than wide, lateral margins parallel, apex rounded, dental formula 6/6; legs robust, each coxa with prominent, sharply pointed spur, spur of coxa I long compared to coxae II and III, spur of coxa IV twice as long as that of coxa III, each coxa covered by 12–20 long setae, trochanters with pointed spurs ventrally, spur of trochanter I shorter than those of trochanters II–IV, tarsi long and stout, claws moderate; genital aperture subovate, situated between coxae II; spiracular plates subrectangular with short triangular dorsal prolongation.

Female ( Fig. 22 , E–H): Body small, approximately 3.32± 0.15 mm long and 2.20± 0.1 mm wide, colour as in male; conscutum elongate, 1.25 times longer than wide, with rounded posterior margins, cervical grooves deep anteriorly and subparallel, small, shallow posteriorly and densely punctate; capitulum short and stout, basis capituli twice as wide as long, lateral margins slightly divergent, cornua short and less sharp than those of male, porose areas elongate-oval, small and widely separated, palpi similar to those of male, hypostome slightly broader than in male, dental formula 6/6 or 7/7; legs robust and long, spurs of coxae broadly triangular and shorter than in male, coxae covered with dense setae, trochanters with sharply pointed ventral spurs, tarsi and claws same as in male; genital aperture tongue-like, posterior lip narrow and U-shaped; spiracular plates wider and dorsal prolongation shorter than in male.

Figures

FIGURE 22. Haemaphysalis montgomeryi A: male dorsum (I: cervical field); B: male venter (I: spur of coxa I, II: spur of coxa III, III: spur of coxa IV); C: male dorsum (I: cornua); D: male venter (I: capitulum, II: trochanteral spur); E: female dorsum (I: scutum); F: female venter (I: spur of coxa IV); G: female dorsum (I: cornua); H: female venter (I: capitulum, II: spur of coxa I, III: trochanteral spur, IV: genital aperture).