Development Features of × Hybrids under Laboratory Conditions.

Widely distributed and ticks transmit many pathogens of both medical and veterinary significance. The ranges of these tick species overlap and form large sympatric areas in the East European Plain and Baltic countries. It has previously been shown that crossing and is possible, resulting in the appearance of sterile hybrids. In the present study, we analyzed the features of this hybrid's life cycle under laboratory conditions. For this purpose, virgin females of and ticks were obtained in the laboratory, and hybrid generations of ticks were bred from the reciprocal crossings of these two tick species. According to our data, mating the females of and with the males of another species leads to a decrease in the engorgement success of the females, a decrease in the number of hatched larvae, and the appearance of a hybrid generation in which both females and males are sterile. Under laboratory conditions at a constant room temperature and under natural daylight, the morphogenetic diapause of the engorged larvae began in September. For nymphs, it occurred earlier than for , in October and November, respectively. The hybrids generally repeated the features of the life cycle of the mother species.