Invasion: Exotic ticks (Acari : Argasidae, ixodidae) imported into the United States. A review and new records

A review of the literature and unpublished records from the U.S. National T ick Collection on the importation of ticks from foreign lands reveals that at least 99 exotic tick species assignable to II genera have been either de tected and destroyed at ports of entry or inadvertently imported into the U nited States in the past half century. This number includes four argasid an d 95 ixodid species, some of which are important vectors of agents that cau se disease to both man and animals. If one includes Aponomma sp. and Hyalom ma sp. and the subspecies of Rhipicephalus, the total exceeds 100 taxa. It is notable that the number of imported tick species recorded herein exceeds the total number of tick species native to the United States. It appears t hat the soft tick genera Argas, Antricola and Nothoaspis have not been impo rted although at some point in time Argas persicus (Oken) was introduced be cause it is resident although not often collected. The hard tick genera Ano malohimalaya, Cosmiomma, Margaropus, Nosomma and Rhipicentor, and the nutta lliellid genus Nuttalliella have also not been imported.