Distribution of hard tick species in Ankara, Turkey

A systematic study has been carried out on hard ticks from Ankara Province, Turkey. Between April 2010 and July 2012, 1800 tick specimens belonging to 9 species were identified at 31 locations in 9 districts. Tick species are listed as follows: Rhipicephalus sanguineus group (43.44%), Rhipicephalus bursa (36.67%), Hyalomma marginatum (8.83%), Haemaphysalis parva (6%), Hyalomma aegyptium (2.39%), Hyalomma excavatum (1.33%), Dermacentor marginatus (1.06%), Haemaphysalis punctata (0.22%), and Hyalomma detritum (0.06%). Ticks were collected from host animals and from vegetation via the flagging method. The species of the genus Rhipicephalus were present in most of the study areas, the most common being the Rhipicephalus sanguineus group (20/31). Hyalomma species were mostly collected from host animals, with Hyalomma marginatum being the most common species in this genus (8.83%). We also observed seasonal variations in abundance, with the highest number in May. The district with the most abundant ticks was determined to be Kızılcahamam, which had the highest tick abundance rate of 28.6%.