A survey of ticks (Acari:Ixodidae) on cattle, sheep and goats in the Dohuk Governorate, Iraq

Abstract

A survey on hard ticks affecting cattle, sheep, and goats was done in Dohuk Governorate from March 2005 until February 2006 in three areas (Dohuk surrounding area, Barwary Balla near Turkish border, and Eqre). The species collected from cattle were Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum and Hyalomma anatolicum marginatum, while the species collected from sheep and goats were Rhipicephalus bursa, Rhipicephalus turanicus, Haemaphysalis parva, and Hyalomma spp. The occurrences of the ticks in the three areas were different; in Dohuk surrounding area they occured at the beginning of March and disappeared in the middle of April, while in the Barwary area the ticks occured at the end of March and disappeared at the end of May. In Eqre, the peaks of infestation occurred after harvesting of cereals in the middle of June until end of July.