First Record of Ixodes ariadnae (Acari: Ixodidae) in Slovakia

Herein we report the first occurrence of <i>Ixodes ariadnae</i> in Slovakia. One engorged female was collected from a greater mouse-eared bat (<i>Myotis myotis</i>) in the spring of 2025. Identification of the collected <i>I. ariadnae</i> specimen was based on morphological characters and confirmed by sequencing <i>COI</i> genes and mitochondrial 16S rDNA. Sequences showed > 99-100% similarity to specimens collected in other European countries. This expands the known range of <i>I. ariadnae</i> and calls for the further investigation into its host associations, prevalence, and potential role in tick-borne pathogen transmission among European bats.