Skip to content

Rare tick Haemaphysalis sambar rediscovered on a Bengal tiger in Kerala

Wild Bengal tiger resting in Bandipur National Park, India
Research · Evolution & taxonomy

A rare tick previously known from only a single male specimen has been rediscovered on a bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) in Kerala, India. The study, first published on 15 May 2026 in Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports, redescribed Haemaphysalis sambar and recorded the tiger as a new host for the tick.

The work formed part of a broader survey of Haemaphysalis ticks infesting domestic and wild animals in northern Kerala. Researchers collected ticks from cattle and goats in Wayanad district and from several wild animals examined by veterinary staff. The bengal tiger carrying H. sambar came from Kottiyoor in Kannur district and had been brought for postmortem examination.

Five Haemaphysalis species were recovered from the sampled wild animals: H. bispinosa, H. spinigera, H. turturis, H. minuta and H. sambar. The rediscovered H. sambar was examined with light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy so that its diagnostic structures could be described in detail. Scanning electron microscopy uses an electron beam to reveal very fine surface structures, which is useful when closely related tick species differ in small morphological characters.

MT-COI gave the clearest separation between species

The researchers also characterized the ticks genetically using mitochondrial 16S rRNA, nuclear 18S rRNA and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1, MT-COI. These are DNA markers from different parts of the genome that can be compared among specimens to test whether morphologically similar ticks also form distinct genetic groups. MT-COI provided the clearest separation between the Haemaphysalis species in the dataset: sequences from different species differed by about 9.5–26.7%, giving a much clearer species-level split than the other markers.

Only one male had been known since 1971

H. sambar was originally described in 1971 and had remained known from only one male specimen. Its recovery from a bengal tiger therefore provides both new material for redescribing the species and a new host record. The authors state that the updated morphological and molecular description should make the tick easier to recognize in future surveillance.

The study did not report H. sambar as transmitting a particular pathogen to the tiger. Its significance in this work is taxonomic and parasitological: a poorly known tick species was rediscovered, genetically characterized and documented on a host from which it had not previously been recorded.

Sources and image credit

  1. Anaswara, A., Ajith Kumar, K. G., Geethu, R., Sreenidhi, N. C., Anju, V., Deepa, C. K., Asaf, M., Sathian, A., Juliet, S., Ravindran, R., & Ghosh, S. (2026). Haemaphysalis tick diversity in North Kerala, India: Rediscovery and redescription of Haemaphysalis sambar Hoogstraal, 1971 (Acari: Ixodidae) from a new host, Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris, Carnivora: Felidae). Veterinary Parasitology: Regional Studies and Reports, 73, 101505. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vprsr.2026.101505Primary peer-reviewed study with article date 15 May 2026; rediscovered and redescribed Haemaphysalis sambar from a Bengal tiger, previously known from a single male specimen, using morphology plus 16S, 18S and MT-COI data.

Image: Bobwca2017 — wild Bengal tiger photographed in Bandipur National Park, Karnataka, India, 5 May 2023; representative Western Ghats tiger image, not the tiger examined postmortem in Kerala. Source: Wikimedia Commons. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

Evolution & taxonomy

SPECIES IN THIS STORY

Species in this story

Tiger Panthera tigris Explore species

Independent research and conservation news archive

Did you find this information useful?

Wildlife Vagabond is independently built and maintained. Voluntary support helps cover source verification, hosting and continued work on research and conservation news.

Support Wildlife Vagabond

The news archive will remain freely available.