Biochemical differentiation between species of ticks (Acari: Ixodidae)

An electrophoretic analysis of nine species of ticks representing three genera of the family Ixodidae was performed. Within the genus Ambylomma, the species are completely distinguished using ACPH and PEP-1. The phenotype of A. americanum is ACPH1-00 and PEP-1(1-00) or PEP-1(0-92); A. maculatum has phenotype ACPH0-92 and no expression of PEP-1; A. cajennense has phenotype ACPH1-04 and PEP-1(0-98); while the phenotype of A. inoratum is ACPH1-02 and PEP0-98. Among the Dermacentor, peptidase phenotypes completely distinguish the species. The species D. albipictus has phenotypes PEP-1(0-94) or PEP-1(0-88) and PEP-2(0-98); D. andersoni has phenotype PEP-1(1-00) and PEP-2(1-00); D. variabilis has phenotype PEP-1(0-94) and no expression of PEP-2; and D. nitens has phenotypes PEP-1(1-06) or PEP-1(0-98) and no expression of PEP-2. The final species, R. sanguineus can be distinguished from all the other species by its having the unique allele ACPH0-98.