Argasidae
Template:Short description Template:Automatic taxobox
The Argasidae are the family of soft ticks, one of the three families of extant ticks. The family contains 220 species, although the composition of the genera is less certain, and more study is needed before the taxonomy is resolved.<ref name="list">Template:Cite journal</ref> The Argasidae are very common in South Asia, along with 96 other species of ticks, making South Asia the region with the highest biodiversity of ticks worldwide.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Soft ticks are resistant to desiccation and can live for several years in arid conditions.
Physical characteristics
Soft ticks lack the hard scutum present in the hard ticks (Ixodidae).<ref name="Cox">Template:Cite book</ref> The gnathosoma (or capitulum, the mouthparts-bearing structure) is located on the underside of the animal's body and is not readily visible,<ref name="Cox"/> while in the Ixodidae, the gnathosoma projects forward from the body. The lateral edges of the body are rounded.
Systematics
Argasid systematics remain in flux. There have been as many as four major conflicting taxonomic 'schools' over time, which all conflict in some way with contemporary molecular phylogenies. As such, there is an ongoing research effort to resolve current molecular systematics with existing species constructs. As of 2025, the most up-to-date classification scheme and species list is that of Mans et al. (2021), comprising 220 taxa in 15 genera:<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
| Genera | Subgenera | # spp. |
|---|---|---|
| Alveonasus Neumann, 1908 | (Alveonasus) | 7 |
| Argas Latreille, 1795 | (Argas, Persicargas) | 44 |
| Navis Mans et al., 2019 | (Navis) | 1 |
| Ogadenus Neumann, 1907 | (Ogadenus) | 1 |
| Proknekalia Keirans et al., 1977 | (Proknekalia) | 3 |
| Secretargas Hoogstraal, 1957 | (Secretargas) | 3 |
| 59 |
| Genera | Subgenera | # spp. |
|---|---|---|
| Alectorobius Pocock, 1907 | (Alectorobius) | 64 |
| Antricola Cooley & Kohls, 1942 | (Antricola, Parantricola) | 17 |
| Carios Latreille, 1796 | (Carios) | 8 |
| Chiropterargas Hoogstraal, 1955 | (Chiropterargas) | 4 |
| Nothoaspis Keirans and Clifford, 1975 | (Nothoaspis) | 3 |
| Ornithodoros C. L. Koch, 1837 | (Microargas, Ornamentum, Ornithodoros, Pavlovskyella, Theriodoros) | 48 |
| Otobius Banks, 1912 | (Otobius) | 2 |
| Reticulinasus Schulze, 1941 | (Reticulinasus) | 12 |
| Subparmatus Clifford et al., 1964 | (Subparmatus) | 3 |
| 161 |