Contribution of lizards (Lacertidae) to the distribution of ticks in the Iberian Peninsula

Abstract

Ticks on reptiles appear occasionally in geographic locations with specific conditions of humidity, vegetation and presence of ungulates. In this work, 401 ticks collected between 2013 and 2021 on 83 lizards belonging to 9 species of the family Lacertidae were analyzed. They were captured in different regions of the Sierra de Guadarrama, Pyrenees, southern sub-plateau, Sierra Nevada, and Tenerife. The 95.50% were identified as immature stages of ticks of the genus Ixodes, although occasional parasitization by adults of the genera Hyalomma and nymphs of Haemaphysalis was also observed. Morphologically, 8.98% of the specimens were compatible with Ixodes inopinatus, a species whose presence in the Iberian Peninsula is debated; however, the analysis of mitochondrial 16S and cox1 markers could not discriminate them from Ixodes ricinus, the most abundant species found in lizards. We found significant effects of month of collection, sex and host species, as well as microclimatic variables of humidity and temperature on the prevalence and abundance of ticks on lizards. Male lizards had significantly more ticks than females. The localities where we found ticks on these reptiles were more humid and colder, but within these localities there were more ticks on reptiles in those places that were less humid and warmer. The results also indicated differential susceptibility to Ixodes infestation for the different species of lizards tested.