Dermacentor nitens

Smith (1974) and Rawlins (1977) recorded D. nitens from equines in Trinidad.

Dermacentor nitens is known to transmit Babesia caballi (Equine babesiosis) (Jongejan and Uilenberg 2004). Asgarali et al. (2007) investigated 93 horses in Trinidad for serum antibodies to Theileria equi and Babesia caballi using an immunofluorescent antibody test and found 77 to be seropositive. However, the authors did not study the transmitted agents. Earlier, Floch and Fauman (1958) confirmed the presence of the tick, D. nitens, in Trinidad. Very recently, Georges (2010) diagnosed some tick-transmitted haemopathogens ( Anaplasma platys, Babesia canis vogeli, B. caballi, Theileria equi) in companion animals using molecular tools.

Distribution: throughout the West Indies, Central America, Bolivia, Brazil (Cruz 2001).