Description of <i>Rhipicephalus hibericus</i> phenology and main hosts in its type locality

We conducted a study on different aspects of the biology and ecology of the recently described Rhipicephalus hibericus Millán, Rodríguez-Pastor and Estrada-Peña (Ixodida: Ixodidae) in agricultural and riparian habitats of its type locality (Zaragoza, north-east Spain), with a focus on seasonal dynamics of questing individuals and the identification of the main hosts (both through live-trapping and molecular blood meal analysis in questing adults). We further evaluated the effect of potential wildlife hosts (micro and meso-mammals, and birds), habitat (agrarian and natural) and climate variables such as temperature and relative humidity, on the dynamics of the three stages. The activity of the adults of R. hibericus was detected from early spring to early summer. Questing tick abundance was higher in the natural than in the agrarian habitats. Captures revealed that adult ticks parasitized meso-mammals in spring, while larvae and nymphs were found only in summer in the three dominant micromammals: the Algerian mouse (Mus spretus Lataste (Rodentia: Muridae)) (mean prevalence 52%), the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus Linnaeus (Rodentia: Muridae)) (44%) and the greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula Hermann (Eulipotyphla: Soricidae)) (41%). No R. hibericus was detected on any live-trapped bird. Blood meal analysis of questing adults confirmed the prominent role of the Algerian mouse as the feeding source for nymphs but also revealed that they can also feed on other unidentified hosts, such as the red kite (Milvus milvus Linnaeus (Accipitriformes: Accipitridae)). This study aims to increase the knowledge of the biology of R. hibericus, as well as to provide information about the exposure to this tick species in an area where humans, wildlife, ticks and pathogens are in close contact.