Dermacentor is a recently evolved genus of hard ticks (Family Ixodiae) that includes 36 known species worldwide. Despite the importance of Dermacentor species as vectors of human and animal disease, the systematics of the genus remain largely unresolved. This study focuses on phylogenetic relationships of the eight North American Nearctic Dermacentor species: D. albipictus, D. variabilis, D. occidentalis, D. halli, D. parumapertus, D. hunteri, and D. andersoni, and the recently re-established species D. kamshadalus, as well as two of the Neotropical Dermacentor species D. nitens and D. dissimilis (both formerly Anocentor). We sequenced portions of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, and the ribosomal 12S and 16S genes from the largest sampling of North American Dermacentor ticks analyzed to date. In all analyses, we found that North American Dermacentor ticks form a monophyletic lineage, and that all four species of one-host Dermacentor ticks also form a monophyletic lineage within the genus. The placement of the former Anocentor species, D. nitens and D. dissimilis in Dermacentor is also well supported. The winter tick, Dermacentor albipictus, has a complex structure in all analyses that warrants further study into the possibility of a species complex. Dermacentor kamshadalus, formerly a synonym of D. albipictus, shows the same complex structure under analysis of these three mitochondrial genes, and should also be further molecularly examined.
","abstract_html":"<p><em>Dermacentor</em> is a recently evolved genus of hard ticks (Family Ixodiae) that includes 36 known species worldwide. Despite the importance of <em>Dermacentor</em> species as vectors of human and animal disease, the systematics of the genus remain largely unresolved. This study focuses on phylogenetic relationships of the eight North American Nearctic <em>Dermacentor </em>species: <em>D. albipictus, D. variabilis, D. occidentalis, D. halli, D. parumapertus, D. hunteri, </em>and <em>D. andersoni</em>, and the recently re-established species <em>D. kamshadalus</em>, as well as two of the Neotropical <em>Dermacentor</em> species <em>D. nitens</em> and <em>D. dissimilis</em> (both formerly <em>Anocentor</em>). We sequenced portions of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, and the ribosomal 12S and 16S genes from the largest sampling of North American <em>Dermacentor</em> ticks analyzed to date. In all analyses, we found that North American <em>Dermacentor</em> ticks form a monophyletic lineage, and that all four species of one-host <em>Dermacentor</em> ticks also form a monophyletic lineage within the genus. The placement of the former <em>Anocentor</em> species, <em>D. nitens</em> and <em>D. dissimilis</em> in Dermacentor is also well supported. The winter tick, <em>Dermacentor albipictus</em>, has a complex structure in all analyses that warrants further study into the possibility of a species complex. <em>Dermacentor kamshadalus</em>, formerly a synonym of <em>D. albipictus</em>, shows the same complex structure under analysis of these three mitochondrial genes, and should also be further molecularly examined.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Perry, Kayla L"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Biology (M.S.)","degree_level":"Thesis (open access)","degree_discipline":"Department of Biology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dmitry Apanaskevich","Lance Durden"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2014,"date_issued":"2014-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2014-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:27:52Z","subjects":["ETD","ticks","Dermacentor","one-host","phylogenetics","COI","12S","16S","mitochondrial","Biodiversity","Bioinformatics","Biology","Molecular Biology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1089","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dmitry Apanaskevich","Lance Durden"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Perry, Kayla L"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2015-04-14T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Department of Biology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis (open access)"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Biology (M.S.)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["ETD","ticks","Dermacentor","one-host","phylogenetics","COI","12S","16S","mitochondrial","Biodiversity","Bioinformatics","Biology","Molecular Biology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1089"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Dermacentor is a recently evolved genus of hard ticks (Family Ixodiae) that includes 36 known species worldwide. Despite the importance of Dermacentor species as vectors of human and animal disease, the systematics of the genus remain largely unresolved. This study focuses on phylogenetic relationships of the eight North American Nearctic Dermacentor species: D. albipictus, D. variabilis, D. occidentalis, D. halli, D. parumapertus, D. hunteri, and D. andersoni, and the recently re-established species D. kamshadalus, as well as two of the Neotropical Dermacentor species D. nitens and D. dissimilis (both formerly Anocentor). We sequenced portions of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, and the ribosomal 12S and 16S genes from the largest sampling of North American Dermacentor ticks analyzed to date. In all analyses, we found that North American Dermacentor ticks form a monophyletic lineage, and that all four species of one-host Dermacentor ticks also form a monophyletic lineage within the genus. The placement of the former Anocentor species, D. nitens and D. dissimilis in Dermacentor is also well supported. The winter tick, Dermacentor albipictus, has a complex structure in all analyses that warrants further study into the possibility of a species complex. Dermacentor kamshadalus, formerly a synonym of D. albipictus, shows the same complex structure under analysis of these three mitochondrial genes, and should also be further molecularly examined.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Molecular Phylogenetic Relationships of North American Dermacentor Ticks Using Mitochondrial Gene Sequences"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dmitry Apanaskevich","Lance Durden"],"dc:creator":["Perry, Kayla L"],"dc:date.available":["2015-04-14T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Dermacentor is a recently evolved genus of hard ticks (Family Ixodiae) that includes 36 known species worldwide. Despite the importance of Dermacentor species as vectors of human and animal disease, the systematics of the genus remain largely unresolved. This study focuses on phylogenetic relationships of the eight North American Nearctic Dermacentor species: D. albipictus, D. variabilis, D. occidentalis, D. halli, D. parumapertus, D. hunteri, and D. andersoni, and the recently re-established species D. kamshadalus, as well as two of the Neotropical Dermacentor species D. nitens and D. dissimilis (both formerly Anocentor). We sequenced portions of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, and the ribosomal 12S and 16S genes from the largest sampling of North American Dermacentor ticks analyzed to date. In all analyses, we found that North American Dermacentor ticks form a monophyletic lineage, and that all four species of one-host Dermacentor ticks also form a monophyletic lineage within the genus. The placement of the former Anocentor species, D. nitens and D. dissimilis in Dermacentor is also well supported. The winter tick, Dermacentor albipictus, has a complex structure in all analyses that warrants further study into the possibility of a species complex. Dermacentor kamshadalus, formerly a synonym of D. albipictus, shows the same complex structure under analysis of these three mitochondrial genes, and should also be further molecularly examined.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1089"],"dc:subject":["ETD","ticks","Dermacentor","one-host","phylogenetics","COI","12S","16S","mitochondrial","Biodiversity","Bioinformatics","Biology","Molecular Biology"],"dc:title":["Molecular Phylogenetic Relationships of North American Dermacentor Ticks Using Mitochondrial Gene Sequences"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Department of Biology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis (open access)"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Biology (M.S.)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:27:52Z"}