1. Justin Talley Ph.D. Extension Livestock Entomologist
Longhorned Tick
Justin Talley Ph.D.
Extension Livestock Entomologist

2. Bush Tick or Longhorned tick Haemaphysalis longicornis

4. Distribution of Haemaphysalis longicornis in the USA (as of 6/11/2018)

5. Longhorned Tick
Longhorned Tick (also known as the Bush tick) is an exotic tick and has been documented as a serious pest of livestock.

6. Life Cycle
Longhorned tick larvae emerge from eggs laid in the soil and have three active developmental stages, 6-legged larvae, 8-legged nymphs, and 8-legged adults, all feeding exclusively on animal blood. Longhorned ticks move on and off hosts three times, as the blood meal is a necessary preamble to molting to the next stage and eventually for egg development.
Schematic diagram of annual temporal patterns of occurrence of the different developmental stages of H. longicornis. In bold is the standard sequence. Credit: Dina M. Fonseca, Andrea Egizi, James Occi

7. Preferred Hosts Ruminants Non-ruminants Wildlife Hosts Cattle Goats
Sheep
Deer
Non-ruminants
Dogs
Horses
Cats
Rabbits
Pigs
Humans
Wildlife Hosts
Deer
Raccoons
Birds
Opossums

8. Pathogens associated with the Longhorned Tick
Name of disease
Geographical distribution
Host species affected
Transmission experiments + field infected:
Theileria luwenshuni
Sheep theileriosis
Asia
sheep
Babesia gibsoni
Canine babesiosis
Dogs
Babesia ovata
Babesiosis
Japan
cattle
Babesia sp. BQ1 (Lintan strain)
China
Sheep, goats
SFTSV
Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome
China/Japan
Human, livestock
Field infected only, found frequently:
Theileria orientalis  (T. sergenti)
Cattle Theileriosis
Asia and Australasia
Cattle, Asian buffalo
Anaplasma phagocytophilum2
Anaplasmosis
China, Korea
Goats, water deer
Anaplasma bovis
Ehrlichia chaffeensis2
Ehrlichiosis
Borrelia burgdorferi sl.
Goats, cattle
Rickettsia japonica
Japanese spotted fever
Human
POWV
Powassan
Russia
Humans
HYSV
(Huaiyangshan virus hemorrhagic fever)
Pathogens associated with the Longhorned Tick
Credit: Dina M. Fonseca, Andrea Egizi, James Occi
2It is unclear if these pathogens are the same as those occurring in the US, or simply in the same species complex

9. So how does an invasive tick impact beef production?
High Impact Disease
Decreased efficiency
Potentially high populations (parthenogenesis)

10. Educational Material

11. Common Ticks of Oklahoma

12. Longhorned Tick
Credit: Alan R. Walker

13. How to collect a tick for identification
Samples to my lab should be sent in a sealable vial of 70% ethanol.
To label collection tubes in the field the best method is to use lead pencil writing on strong paper or cardstock to make a small label.
This is placed inside the tube with the ticks.
Field collection data should include date, site, collector, and host species.

14. Questions