Identity of Ixodes ugandanus Neumann, 1906 (Acari: Ixodidae), reinstatement of I. ampullaceus Warburton, 1933 as a valid species and redescription of I. aulacodi Arthur, 1956, parasites of rodents and other animals in sub-Saharan Africa

The identity of Ixodes (Afrixodes) ugandanus Neumann, 1906 (Acari: Ixodidae) is established and its male and female are redescribed based on specimens collected on rodents (Rodentia: Muridae, Thryonomyidae) in Ethiopia and Uganda. Lectotype of I. ugandanus is designated here. Ixodes (Afrixodes) ampullaceus Warburton, 1933 is reestablished as a valid species and its female is redescribed based on specimens collected on rodents (Rodentia: Thryonomyidae), carnivorans (Carnivora: Viverridae) and a bird (Galliformes: Numididae) in Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Ixodes mossambicensis Santos Dias, 1952 is synonymized with I. ampullaceus. Male and female of Ixodes (Afrixodes) aulacodi Arthur, 1956 are redescribed in greater detail based on specimens collected on rodents (Rodentia: Thryonomyidae) in Benin, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast. All available literature data on these taxa are critically analyzed and discussed. We sequenced the mitochondrial genome of I. aulacodi, compared it to other Ixodes Latreille, 1795 species, and according to our phylogeny from 10 protein-coding mitochondrial genes of 33 Ixodes species, I. aulacodi forms a clade with the only other Afrixodes Morel, 1966 having a sequenced complete mitochondrial genome, Ixodes rubicundus Neumann, 1904.