Illustrated redescription of the male of Ixodes simplex Neumann, 1906

Ixodes simplex is a tick species of bats, mainly reported from Schreibers' Bent-winged bat, Miniopterus schreibersii, all over its host's range. While being a common parasite of cave-dwelling bat species, the initial description of males is poor (based on a sole damaged specimen), lacking distinctive features. This study describes the male of I. simplex also providing measurements for a number of characters, using a series 10 of specimens. Males of I. simplex show the following characteristics distinct from males of I. ariadnae and I. vespertilionis: idiosoma is shorter (2.6 mm vs. 3.4-4.7 mm); the palps of I. simplex males are laterally curved (bent) (while straight in I. ariadnae and gradually curving in I. vespertilionis), the genital opening is anterior in position between coxae II (whereas posterior to second intercoxal space in I. vespertilionis); coxae II are to some extent rectangular (vs. rounded in I. ariadnae); coxae IV have a prominent tuft of long hairs (missing in the other two species). Most importantly, the legs of I. simplex males are considerably shorter than in males of the other two species (2.7-3.3 mm vs. 7-10 mm). The description is completed with high-quality pictures highlighting all the mentioned features.