Description of sp. nov., a new hard tick species (Acari, Ixodidae) collected from mouse-eared bats (Vespertilionidae, ) in Vietnam.

Historically, for more than one and a half centuries, only one so-called "long-legged bat tick" species, i.e., Koch was known to science. However, during the past decade, it was recognized on a molecular basis that long-legged ixodid ticks associated with bats may represent at least six species. Of these, until recently, five have been morphologically described. In this study, ticks were collected from two species in southeastern Asia, Vietnam. Based on the morphological and molecular characteristics of the female, nymph and larva, Hornok, is described here. The male is unknown. Like other members of the complex, Hornok apparently shows a preference for vesper bats as its typical hosts. In this context, host-association and geographical separation may explain the evolutionary divergence of Hornok from its closest relative occurring on Peters in East Asia, Japan, because no or spp. have overlapping distribution between Vietnam and the main islands of Japan. On the other hand, supposing that (similarly to ) Hornok probably occurs on other myotine bats and knowing that several species indigenous in Vietnam have a broad geographical range in southern and southeastern Asia, the new tick species most likely has a widespread distribution in this area.