Occurrence of the bat tick Ornithodoros (Alectorobius) Kelleyi Cooley & Kohls (Acari: Argasidae) in Costa Rica and its relation to human bites.

Several persons from two localities in Costa Rica (San Rafael de Coronado, 1510 m and Dulce Nombre de Tres Ríos, 1445 m) were bitten by ticks, subsequently identified as Ornitohodoros (A.) Kelleyi (Argasidae), commonly associated with bats. In the attics of their homes, live adults, larvae, nymphs and skins were found in the bat guano. Since there are no records of adult argasids in this country, a laboratory colony was established to observe the biology of these ticks and their association with bats. In this particular case, the bats were Molossidae and Vespertilionidae, both insectivorous. Adults and last nymphal ticks easily fed on suckling white mice in the dark; feeding lasts from 20 to 40 minutes, when abundant coxal fluid is produced; oviposition occurs from 14 to 27 days later. Comparison of the most common structures of both whole larvae and larval skins revealed no significant differences, taxonomically important, since according to the habits of the Argasidae, it is easier to find larval molts than live specimens.