Ixodiphagus hookeri
Encyclopedia
The Chalcid wasp
Ixodiphagus hookeri lays its eggs into ticks. It seems to utilize a symbiotic
virus
to weaken the tick's immune system
.
Ticks from the following genera are infected:
Because of the importance of I. hookeri as a natural enemy of ticks, it has been extensively researched.
Chalcid wasp
Chalcid wasps belong to the insect order Hymenoptera, and are one of the largest groups within the order, with some 22,000 known species, and an estimated total diversity of anywhere from 60,000 to more than 500,000 species, meaning the vast majority have yet to be discovered and described.Most of...
Ixodiphagus hookeri lays its eggs into ticks. It seems to utilize a symbiotic
Symbiosis
Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. In 1877 Bennett used the word symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens...
virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
to weaken the tick's immune system
Immune system
An immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own...
.
Ticks from the following genera are infected:
- AmblyommaAmblyommaAmblyomma is a genus of hard ticks. Some are disease vectors, for example for Rocky Mountain spotted fever in Brazil or ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis in the USA....
- DermacentorDermacentorDermacentor is a genus of hard-bodied ticks.-Species:* Dermacentor abaensis Teng, 1963* Dermacentor albipictus Packard, 1869* Dermacentor andersoni Stiles 1908* Dermacentor asper Arthur, 1960...
- HaemaphysalisHaemaphysalisHaemaphysalis is a genus of tick.-Species:* Haemaphysalis aborensis Warburton, 1913* Haemaphysalis aciculifer Warburton 1913* Haemaphysalis aculeata Lavarra, 1904* Haemaphysalis adleri Feldman-Muhsam, 1951...
- HyalommaHyalommaHyalomma is a genus of hard-bodied ticks, common in Asia, Europe, and Hyalomma is a genus of hard-bodied [[tick]]s, common in [[Asia]], [[Europe]], and...
- IxodesIxodesIxodes is a genus of hard-bodied ticks . It includes important disease vectors of animals and humans . Some ticks in this genus may transmit the pathogenic bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi responsible for causing Lyme disease...
(for example Ixodes ricinusIxodes ricinusIxodes ricinus, the castor bean tick, is a chiefly European species of hard-bodied tick. It may reach a length of when engorged with a blood meal, and can transmit both bacterial and viral pathogens such as the causative agents of Lyme disease and tick-borne encephalitis.-Description:In common...
) - RhipicephalusRhipicephalusRhipicephalus is a genus of tick.-Species:* Rhipicephalus annulatus Say, 1821* Rhipicephalus appendiculatus Neumann 1901* Rhipicephalus aquatilis Walker, Keirans & Pegram, 1993* Rhipicephalus armatus Pocock, 1900...
Because of the importance of I. hookeri as a natural enemy of ticks, it has been extensively researched.
Synonyms
I. hookeri is also known under the following synonyms:- I. caucurtei Buysson 1912
- Hunterellus hookeri Howard, 1908
- Habrolepis caniphila Risbec, 1951