FOWL TICK (Argas persicus)
Biology
- Refereed to as the “chick tick,” “adobe tick,” “blue bug,” and the “tampan.”
- The Fowl Tick is a soft tick.
- The mouthparts are ventrally located and are covered by the front margin of the body so they are not visible from above.
- Bodies lack a scutum and the skin appears wrinkled and leather-like.
- They feed periodically during all life stages.
- The Fowl tick is a multi-host tick.
Distribution/Habits
- Distributed world wide
- Among the most important poultry parasites
- Nymphs and adults are extremely active at night. They hide around droppings pits during the day.
- Females lay eggs in masses of 25 to greater than 100 eggs, usually in cracks and crevices.
- A batch of eggs may be laid after taking a blood meal from the host. Several batches can be produced, totaling up to 700 eggs.
- Larvae are very active, taking hosts throughout the day and night.
- Once larvae hatch, they leave the host and enter a quiet period of about a week. After this period they become nocturnal.
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