Nuttalliella
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Genus
SPECIES
Nuttalliella namaqua

Nuttalliella namaqua is a tick found in southern Africa from Tanzania to Namibia and South Africa, which is placed in its own family, Nuttalliellidae. It can be distinguished from ixodid ticks and argasid ticks by a combination of characteristics including the position of the stigmata, lack of setae, strongly corrugated integument, and form of the fenestrated plates. It is the most basal lineage of ticks.

Distribution

Geography

Nuttalliella namaqua has been observed in Tanzania, Namibia and South Africa. Localities of collection include coastal (west and south) and inland sites (north). The Namibia specimens were collected from museum mammal skins in Kuboes. The biomes represented by these locations are: mixed tree and shrub savannah, Nama Karoo and Succulent Karoo.

Habits and Lifestyle

N. namaqua is believed to be a generalist when choosing a host. N. namaqua has been collected from mammals, reptiles and birds nests. Genetic sequencing of blood found in N. namaqua show a wide diversity of lizard hosts.

References

1. Nuttalliella Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuttalliella

More Fascinating Animals to Learn About