TRADITION AND MODERNITY IN VETERINARY MEDICINE, 2023, vol. 8, No 1(14): 71–80 SPECIES COMPOSITION AND GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF HARD TICKS INFESTING GOATS AND SHEEP IN LEBANON Walid Darwiche 1* , Marie-Lynn Issa 1 , Christo Hilan 1 , Kostadin Kanchev 2 1 Lebanese University, Faculty of Agronomy, Veterinary Medicine Department, Dekwaneh, Lebanon 2 University of Forestry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Sofia, Bulgaria E-mail: walid.darwiche@gmail.com ABSTRACT Hard ticks are widely distributed parasites that pose a major threat to both livestock and public health. Minimal studies were done regarding the prevalence of ticks on goats and sheep in Lebanon. The aim of this study was to identify hard tick’s species composition and their geographic distribution on small ruminants. The study took place in all Lebanese governorates. The ticks’ genus, species, sex, and life stage were obtained via morphological identification using a stereomicroscope. A total of four genera and seven species were identified, being Rhipicephalus turanicus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus, Ixodes ricinus, Haemaphysalis parva, Rhipicepha- lus bursa, Rhipicephalus annulatus and Hyalomma excavatum. R. turanicus and R. sanguineus were the most abundant tick species, while R. bursa, R. annulatus and H. excavatum were minimally collected. I. ricinus and Hae. parva were identified for the first time on goats and sheep in Lebanon. Extensive research coupled with molecular analysis of the collected ticks is needed for further studies. Key words: hard ticks, goats, sheep, Lebanon, species composition. Introduction Ticks are common obligate ectoparasites (Nicholson et al., 2019) of a wide range of hosts, most notably domestic animals. This makes them excellent and common vectors of blood borne diseases, including zoonoses. Their survival is dependent on two factors (Randolph, 2008): animal hosts and their environ- ment. A modification in one factor can impact that survival. Due to climate change, increase in agricultural land areas, urbanization, and increase in host numbers and displacement (Salman & Estrada-Peña, 2013), ticks have now spread to every corner of the world. They can be found at various altitudes, throughout the different seasons, and even in places that previously had unfavour- able conditions for them to thrive in. This growing distribution increases the propagation of tick-borne diseases, especially in the Mediterranean region, an area already suitable for a wide range of tick species. Moreover, different tick species serve as vectors for different diseases. Therefore, the Mediterranean region is a hotspot for tick-borne pathogens. Not only these pathogens and diseases lead to detrimental economical losses when large herds of ruminants are affected, but also, they pose an alarming public health concern. Lebanon (ESDU, 2020), a Mediterranean country, has many regional climatic variations and a wide range of altitudes at which various tick species can survive. The general climate (ESDU, 2020) is Mediterranean and subtropical, with mild, humid winters and hot, dry summers. More than half of the country’s landmass is targeted for agricultural practices. This makes Lebanon heavily reliant on small ruminant livestock, which in turn are hosts for several tick species. All these factors make Lebanon a suitable nidus for tick diversity and survival.