Abstract:
A new tick species belonging to the genus Rhipicephalus Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae),
namely, Rhipicephalus congolensis n. sp., is described. Males and females of this species are similar to
those of Rhipicephalus complanatus Neumann, 1911 and Rhipicephalus planus Neumann, 1907, but it
can be distinguished from them by a pattern of dense medium-sized punctations on the conscutum
and scutum. Males of R. congolensis may be distinguished by the following characters: posterior
half of the marginal groove deep with a sharp outer edge; anterior portion of the groove shallow
with rounded edges; posteromedian groove distinct, long, and deep; adanal plates broadly
sickle-shaped; bluntly pointed posteromedian spur on coxa I; and posterolateral spur on coxa I
slightly longer or subequal to posteromedian spur. Females of R. congolensis may be distinguished
by the following characters: outer edge of cervical grooves smooth and not clearly deÞned either
by slope or punctations; genital aperture broad, bowl-shaped, and tripartite in appearance, with central
ßap ßanked on either side by an oval depression; and posteromedian spur on coxa I tapering to its apex.
R. congolensis isknownonly from the Democratic Republic of Congo,wherethe adultswerecollected from
red river hogs, Potamochoerus porcus (L.), and domestic pigs, Sus scrofa (L.), within the dense equatorial
forest in the districts of Equateur and Tshuapa, in the province of Equateur.
