Comparative Morphometric and Biosystematic Analysis of Kyasanur Forest Disease Vectors (Haemaphysalis bispinosa and H. turturis) from South India

Comparative Morphometric and Biosystematic Analysis of Kyasanur Forest Disease Vectors (Haemaphysalis bispinosa and H. turturis) from South India | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Comparative Morphometric and Biosystematic Analysis of Kyasanur Forest Disease Vectors (Haemaphysalis bispinosa and H. turturis) from South India Sahina Sidhik, R. Balasubramanian This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7126488/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Haemaphysalis ticks are significant vectors of multiple pathogens and pose substantial threats to both public and veterinary health. Haemaphysalis bispinosa and Haemaphysalis turturis , key vectors of Kyasanur Forest Disease Virus (KFDV), are considered cryptic species due to their close morphological resemblance. This study aimed to differentiate these two species through a combination of morphological, morphometric, and statistical approaches, using specimens collected from two geographically distinct populations in South India. Standard taxonomic keys were employed for initial identification, followed by detailed morphometric measurements across all life stages (n = 15 per stage). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) provided high-resolution structural comparisons, while Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to assess morphometric variation and distinguish key diagnostic features. The results revealed clear interspecific differences, particularly in the scutum and idiosoma. H. bispinosa exhibited a broader basis capituli, while H. turturis displayed a wider and shorter body form, along with a distinct ventral spur morphology on the third coxal segment. These findings confirm that H. bispinosa and H. turturis are morphometrically distinct species and underscore the value of integrative morphological and statistical tools for resolving cryptic species complexes. This work contributes to the biosystematic understanding and accurate identification of medically important Haemaphysalis ticks in endemic regions. Cryptic species Haemaphysalis bispinosa Haemaphysalis turturis Kyasanur Forest Disease Virus (KFDV) Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) Tick morphology Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7126488","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":485549690,"identity":"faaa5c7e-a472-4417-b47f-3e2e58737099","order_by":0,"name":"Sahina Sidhik","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA8UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYFACxgZpBoMEOThfQoJILcZgFpFaGBikGRgSEhuI1iLff7jxdkFBWvp29uPPH3xsu8cgObuB8XHFL9xaDG4kNlvPMMjJ3dmTY9g4s62YQVrmALPh2T48WiQY26R5DCpyNxzIYWzmbUuonyeRwCbZ2IPPYQfBWtINzj9/2Py3LYFBjpAWhgOJIC05CQY3EgybGYFapEFaGn4Q8AuPQZrhzhlvDGf2nEtgkJyR2GzY2IDPYccf3ub5kyxvzp/+4MOPsgQGiRvJBx82/MHjMLh1CCYwfhjbSNMCAsTYMgpGwSgYBSMFAACr0FINp93ifQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Institut Pasteur du Cambodge","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sahina","middleName":"","lastName":"Sidhik","suffix":""},{"id":485549691,"identity":"e31b5639-9ecd-4fdc-acba-0e02d1af6c44","order_by":1,"name":"R. 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This study aimed to differentiate these two species through a combination of morphological, morphometric, and statistical approaches, using specimens collected from two geographically distinct populations in South India. Standard taxonomic keys were employed for initial identification, followed by detailed morphometric measurements across all life stages (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;15 per stage). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) provided high-resolution structural comparisons, while Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to assess morphometric variation and distinguish key diagnostic features. The results revealed clear interspecific differences, particularly in the scutum and idiosoma. \u003cem\u003eH. bispinosa\u003c/em\u003e exhibited a broader basis capituli, while \u003cem\u003eH. turturis\u003c/em\u003e displayed a wider and shorter body form, along with a distinct ventral spur morphology on the third coxal segment. These findings confirm that \u003cem\u003eH. bispinosa\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eH. turturis\u003c/em\u003e are morphometrically distinct species and underscore the value of integrative morphological and statistical tools for resolving cryptic species complexes. This work contributes to the biosystematic understanding and accurate identification of medically important Haemaphysalis ticks in endemic regions.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Comparative Morphometric and Biosystematic Analysis of Kyasanur Forest Disease Vectors (Haemaphysalis bispinosa and H. turturis) from South India","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-07-16 13:31:51","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7126488/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"fbaa02db-1866-4421-9a1f-8c6abb203133","owner":[],"postedDate":"July 16th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-08-12T15:38:18+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-07-16 13:31:51","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7126488","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7126488","identity":"rs-7126488","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}