Haemaphysalis leachi, the yellow dog tick, is a hard-bodied tick of the genus Haemaphysalis. It is also known as African dog tick, or simply as dog tick in many parts of the world.
Distribution It is rather cosmopolitan species found throughout Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote D'Ivoire, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Parasitism It is an obligate ectoparasite of many wild and domestic mammals such as domestic and wild carnivores, small rodents, and cattle. It is also a potential vector of boutonneuse fever and canine babesiosis.
Lifecycle In the yellow dog tick's lifecycle, it attaches itself to three hosts. When the host, such as a dog, starts to scratch, the female tick starts to produce a dog-repelling allomone, which enables it to survive longer on the host.
References
External links Semiochemicals of Haemaphysalis leachi, the Yellow dog tick Effect of Water Flooding on the Oviposition Capacity of Engorged Adult Females and Hatchability of Eggs of Dog Ticks: Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Haemaphysalis leachi leachi Studies on the bionomics and biophysiological constituents of Haemaphysalis leachi leachi (dog tick) in Nigeria 1986 A rickettsial disease in East Africa transmitted by ticks (Rhipicephalus simus and Haemaphysalis leachi)