An official South African species checklist from the National Tick Collection of South Africa (Gertrud Theiler Tick Museum)

Abstract

Ticks play a crucial role in ecosystem dynamics and disease transmission, necessitating accurate species identification for epidemiological and ecological research. South Africa, despite occupying only 0.82 % of the world's land area, harbors approximately 11 % of global tick species richness. This study provides an updated, authoritative checklist of South African tick species curated by the National Tick Collection of South Africa (NTCSA), housed at the Agricultural Research Council – Onderstepoort Veterinary Research (ARCOVR). Previous lists for South Africa presented outdated taxonomic classifications and incomplete data on taxonomic taxa. The NTCSA checklist aims to correct inaccuracies, incorporating the most recent literature, molecular systematics, and expert curation. A total of 110 tick species across three families (Ixodidae, Argasidae, Nuttalliellidae) are documented, with corrections to genera classifications and species distributions indicated. This list serves as a reference for researchers, veterinarians, and policymakers involved in tick diversity, vector control, and conservation efforts. Continuous updates integrating morphological and molecular assessments will further enhance our understanding of tick diversity and distribution in South Africa. The wide extralimital distribution of various species extend the taxonomic observations to the African continent, while the general taxonomic observations presented summarize our understanding of tick taxonomy at global level.