Argas reflexus Soft Tick Mite Parasite Arachnida Argasidae

Argas reflexus mm 6-11 Soft Tick Mite Pigeon Parasite Arachnida Argasidae.
Order: Acarina, Family: Argasidae.
Common name: Pigeon Tick, Canterbury Tick.
Syn. Acarus columbarum, Acarus marginatus, Acarus reflexus, Argas (Argas) reflescus, Ixodes espagnol, Ixodes hispanus, Rhynchoprion columbae.

The Pigeon Tick (Argas reflexus (Fabricius, 1794)) is an Arachnid, a species of Mite of the Argasidae family, ticks defined as soft due to the absence of the dorsal chitinous shield in every phase of their development.
As is evident from the common name "pigeon tick", Argus reflexus mainly parasitises pigeons (Columba livia), but occasionally also humans. For humans in particular, the health interest is growing: on the one hand it can be a vehicle for pathogens, on the other the anaphylactic risk, even serious, when the Argas reflexus stings to suck blood, is linked above all to the release of toxins into the host's blood.