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Argasidae
Family of arachnids From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Argasidae are the family of soft ticks, one of the three families of extant ticks. The family contains 220 species, although the composition of the genera is less certain, and more study is needed before the taxonomy is resolved.[1] The Argasidae are very common in South Asia, along with 96 other species of ticks, making South Asia the region with the highest biodiversity of ticks worldwide.[2] Soft ticks are resistant to desiccation and can live for several years in arid conditions.
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Physical characteristics
Soft ticks lack the hard scutum present in the hard ticks (Ixodidae).[3] The gnathosoma (or capitulum, the mouthparts-bearing structure) is located on the underside of the animal's body and is not readily visible,[3] while in the Ixodidae, the gnathosoma projects forward from the body. The lateral edges of the body are rounded.
Systematics
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Argasid systematics remain in flux. There have been as many as four major conflicting taxonomic 'schools' over time, which all conflict in some way with contemporary molecular phylogenies. As such, there is an ongoing research effort to resolve current molecular systematics with existing species constructs. As of 2025, the most up-to-date classification scheme and species list is that of Mans et al. (2021), comprising 220 taxa in 15 genera:[4][5][6]
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External links
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