Robertsicus elaphensis ( Price, 1959 )

Guglielmone, Alberto A., Petney, Trevor N. & Robbins, Richard G., 2020, Ixodidae (Acari: Ixodoidea): descriptions and redescriptions of all known species from 1758 to December 31, 2019, Zootaxa 4871 (1), pp. 1-322 : 242

1. Robertsicus elaphensis ( Price, 1959) .

A Nearctic species known only to parasitize Squamata : Colubridae .

M: Price (1959), under the name Aponomma elaphensis , and given its current status in Barker and Burger (2018) F: Price (1959), under the name Aponomma elaphensis

N: Price (1959), under the name Aponomma elaphensis

L: Keirans and Degenhardt (1985), under the name Aponomma elaphense

Redescriptions

M: Kaufman (1972) and Keirans and Degenhardt (1985), both under the name Aponomma elaphense, Santos-Dias (1993) , under the name Aponomma elaphensis

F: Kaufman (1972) and Keirans and Degenhardt (1985), both under the name Aponomma elaphense, Santos-Dias (1993) , under the name Aponomma elaphensis

N: Keirans and Degenhardt (1985), under the name Aponomma elaphense

L: none

Note: Burger et al. (2013) found that the most likely position of Robertsicus elaphensis (under Amblyomma ) was as a then unnamed genus basal to the Metastriata, an analysis that reveals the importance of this species for tick phylogenetics and evolution, as discussed in Guglielmone and Nava (2017). Later, Barker and Burger (2018) created the monotypic genus Robertsicus for Robertsicus elaphensis which, as just noted, may be a seminal species in the history of the Ixodidae . See Archaeocroton sphenodonti for additional discussion concerning doubts that this species and Robertsicus elaphensis were correctly classified in the genus Amblyomma .