Distribution of the Soft Tick Carios Vespertilionis in Lowlands and Low Mountain Regions of Germany

Overview

Journal Exp Appl Acarol

Specialties Biology
Parasitology

Date 2023 Jul 27

PMID 37500955

Authors

Anja Fritzsche

Stefan Zaenker

Jannis Gottwald

Renate Keil

Christian Zaenker

Michael Broker

Lidia Chitimia-Dobler

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

In Germany, the knowledge about ticks infesting bats is limited, and is restricted only to a few studies, most of them dating back decades. To further improve our knowledge on ticks parasitising bats, healthy and sick bats in central Germany were examined for ticks. In total 519 larvae and one nymph of Carios vespertilionis were collected from nine bat species: Eptesicus nilssonii, Eptesicus serotinus, Myotis daubentonii, Myotis myotis, Nyctalus leisleri, Pipistrellus nathusii, Pipistrellus pygmaeus, Pipistrellus pipistrellus, and Vespertilio murinus. Either the presence of C. vespertilionis was new for some areas or it was confirmed in some federal states in central Germany. The infestation rate was mostly low (n = 1-5 larvae/bat). However, in two cases a high number of ticks was observed. The highest infestation of 97 C. vespertilionis larvae was recorded on one Parti-coloured bat (V. murinus).

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