›› 2010, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (5): 564-571.doi:

• RESEARCH PAPERS • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Comparative studies on the fovea ultrastructure of Haemaphysalis longicornis (Acari: Ixodidae) in different developmental stages

WANG Xiao-Juan, CHEN Ze, BU Feng-Ju, WANG Duo, LIU Jing-Ze   

  • Online:2010-05-20 Published:2010-05-20

Abstract:  This study aims at the fine structure of tick foveae and its development. The fovea structure of Haemaphysalis longicornis at different developmental stages was studied with scanning electron microscopy, and the effect of blood feeding on the development of foveae was also analyzed. The foveal primordia were observed as paired depressions each containing only one slit-like pore in the larva. In the nymph, the foveae develop bigger and contain more pores (2-6). The adult foveae are the biggest and contain 21-35 slit-like pores. The foveae mainly develop in moulting periods of the larva and feeding and moulting periods of the nymph. The diameter of foveae of the female was significantly longer than that of the male (P<0.01), while there were no significant differences in the diameter of foveal pores during blood feeding of adult, nymph and larva (P>0.05) except that of the mating female. The difference of the foveal pores between adult and immature ticks was not significant (P>0.05). The results suggest that sexual differences in diameter of the foveal pore may begin to form during the immature stages of ticks.

Key words: Haemaphysalis longicornis, fovea, foveal pore, ultrastructure, sexual difference