The Genus Rhipicephalus (Acari, Ixodidae) : A Guide to the Brown Ticks of the World

Rating:
Summary: Systematist's friend
Review: This book, written by the world's foremost experts on Rhipicephalus taxonomy, will be invaluable to anyone who needs to identify brown ticks or come to grips with the many changes in their nomenclature. The high-quality SEM photos (several for each species, showing key morphological features) are a particularly useful addition. As a taxonomic work the book is great. Readers looking for ecological or phylogenetic details, however, will be disappointed. The limited quantitative data that are provided (host numbers, and measurements of tick body sizes) are spread throughout the book, with no summary tables provided; the distribution maps are coarse-grained; there is little discussion of tick population dynamics or disease relationships; and the comments on tick ecology reflect the state of knowledge in the 1960s. Despite these criticisms, the authors have achieved what they set out to do and should be commended for providing such a useful taxonomic reference.