| Abstract: | Study of morphological characters to identify the subspecies of Hyalomma marginatum immature stages is based on material collected throughout all the geographical range of the species. As it was found, the discrimination of subspecies of H. marginatum immature stages needs a complex use of structural and morphometrical characters. Only H. m. marginatum larvae and H. m. isaaci nymphs may be easily differentiated from other subspecies based on the structural (qualitative) characters. Besides, morphometric (quantitative) characters should be used only in combinations for identification of the subspecies. In regard to structural characters of larvae, it was found that the shape and size of coxal spurs of H. marginatum allow differentiating this subspecies from the others (Fig. 3, 5, 6). Based on morphometrical characters of larvae, the following characteristic features of subspecies have been found: in H. m. marginatum, the capitulum is wide, the palpi, hypostome and genua I are short and narrow; in H. m. turanicum, the capitulum is narrow, the palpi are short and narrow, the hypostome is short and wide, the genua I are long and narrow; in H. m. rufipes, the scutum is large, the capitulum is wide, the palpi are long and narrow, the hypostome and genua I are long and wide; in H. m. isaaci, the scutum is small, the capitulum is narrow, the palpi and hypostome are long and narrow, the genua I are short and narrow. Among structural characters of nymph, several discriminative features of subspecies have been found. The shape of the scutum in H. m. isaaci (Fig. 2, 2) clearly differentiates this subspecies from the others (Fig. 2, 1). In H. m. marginatum, the setae of alloscutum as a rule have bluntly rounded apices (Fig. 1, 2), while in the other subspecies these setae are more tapering apically (Fig. 1, 1). The shape of spiracular plates is rather variable within the species, but in H. m. marginatum and H. m. isaaci (Fig. 1, 3) the plates are larger and more perforated than in H. m. rufipes and H. m. turanicum (Fig. 1, 4). In H. m. isaaci, the spurs of coxae I are narrower than in other subspecies (Fig. 1, 8). Based on morphometrical characters of nymphs, the following discriminative features of subspecies have been found: in H. m. marginatum, the capitulum is wide, the palpi are short and wide; in H. m. turanicum, the capitulum is narrow, the palpi are long and narrow; in H. m. rufipes, the scutum is wide, the capitulum is narrow, the palpi are long and narrow, the hypostome is long; in H. m. isaaci, the scutum is long and narrow, the capitulum is wide, the palpi are short and wide, the hypostome is short. |
