Transcriptome-based phylogeny of ticks of the genus Ixodes

The aim of this study was to study the phylogenetic relationships between ticks (Ixodida) through a phylo-transcriptomic approach (and thus based on many nuclear markers), with a special focus on the Ixodes genus, which comprises several species with a strong potential for pathogen transmission to animals or humans. Whereas the phylogenetic relationships among soft ticks (Argasidae), or among Metastriata hard ticks have been relatively well covered by several recent studies, the phylogeny of the Prostriata hard ticks (i.e. the genus Ixodes) has been comparatively less studied. We here propose a transcriptome-based phylogenetic study, by sequencing transcriptomes for new species of this genus: I. acuminatus, I. arboricola, I. canisuga, I. frontalis, I. hexagonus, I. holocyclus, I. ventalloi, I. vespertilionis.