Hard ticks (Acari: Ixodida) in Sakar Mountains, SE Bulgaria

Eight species of hard ticks (Acari: Ixodida: Ixodidae) are reported in Bulgarian part of Sakar Mountains. Of the species found, Ixodes ricinus Linnaeus, 1756, Haemaphysalis punctata Canestrini & Fanzago, 1878, Dermacentor marginatus (Sulzer, 1776) and Hyalomma marginatum Koch, 1844 are widespread species in Bulgaria, while Haemaphysalis inermis Birula, 1895, Hae. parva (Neumann, 1897), R. turanicus Pomerantsev, 1936 and Hyalomma aegyptium Linnaeus, 1758 are less common and distributed mainly in the southern or southeastern regions of the country. It appears that R. turanicus substitutes the widespread tick species R. bursa Canestrini & Fanzago, 1878 in the studied habitats of Sakar Mountains.