Updated list of tick species (Parasitiformes: Ixodida) in Tamaulipas: distribution and hosts

The lists of tick species in Tamaulipas are inconsistent because previous studies have focused on only a few tick genera, or general works where ticks are included among other groups of mites or arthropods. For this reason, the objective of this study was to collect previous records and add new ones to generate an updated list of ticks in the state of Tamaulipas and to know their richness, hosts and geographic distribution.

For this, a search for published works was carried out through bibliographic searches in databases and academic profiles with different combinations of words used in Spanish and English. In addition, records were obtained from national and international databases. Also, we obtained ticks from vegetation and some vertebrates from February 2022 to February 2023 in two localities: 1) Ejido El Sabinito, Soto la Marina, and 2) Ejido Santa Ana, Victoria.

Likewise, we collected ticks during a single visit to two other localities in July 2022 and February 2023: 3) La Bocatoma, Gómez Farías, and 4) Ejido La Libertad (Parque Ecológico Los Troncones), Victoria. A total of 236 records were compiled of previous works, databases, and new collections. The records correspond to 34 tick species, plus new records of Ixodes ca. boliviensis and Amblyomma rotundatum, increasing the list to 36 species distributed in 35 of the 43 municipalities in the state of Tamaulipas.

Of the total number of records, 177 corresponded to humans and domestic animals as hosts. Some species of ticks registered for the state can transmit pathogens that cause diaseases such as: anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, babesiosis, rickettsiosis and Lyme. Despite the record of ticks in Tamaulipas, the inventory is far from complete, it is important to continue with research focused on wild hosts.