New data on hard ticks (Ixodida: Ixodidae) from the caves of Crimea and the Caucasus

This article presents the results of a taxonomic processing of hard ticks (Ixodida: Ixodidae) from the caves of Crimea and the Caucasus. All studied material was collected in caves, from the habitats of their potential hosts. As a result of the present study, the hard tick fauna from the caves of Crimea and the Caucasus presently amounts to four species from two genera. The species Ixodes redikorzevi was recorded from caves by us for the first time. One of the recorded species, I. vespertilionis, is an eutroglophile that is a specialized parasitize on bats. Other species, I. hexagonus, I. redikorzevi and Hyalomma marginatum, are trogloxenes, entering the caves with their hosts during periodic visits.