HAEMAPHYSALIS-SPINULOSA AND RHIPICEPHALUS-SIMUS (ACARI, IXODIDAE) - SEASONAL ABUNDANCE OF IMMATURE STAGES AND HOST RANGE IN THE SHAMBAT AREA, SUDAN

Larvae and nymphs of Haemaphysalis spinulosa and Rhipicephalus simus (Acari: Ixodidae) were collected from grass rats, gerbils, and spiny mice trapped in the Shambat area, Khartoum Province, Sudan. Haemaphysalis spinulosa adults occurred on mongooses and hedgehogs; adults of R. simus had a wider host range and occurred on goats, dogs, sheep, and cattle, as well as on foxes and hedgehogs. All stages of both ticks could be maintained on rabbit hosts in the laboratory. Nymphs of both species outnumbered larvae on grass rats throughout the year except during February, the month of peak larval activity of both species. Larvae of both ticks were fewest or absent on hosts during August through December. Haemaphysalis spinulosa nymph numbers peaked in June, those of R. simus in December; both ticks passed through 1 generation per annum.