Earliest record of the spinose ear tick, Otobius megnini (Dugès) (Ixodida: Argasidae), from the Paisley Caves site (Oregon, USA), with implications for prehistoric human ectoparasitism

The discovery of five individual specimens of the spinose ear tick, Otobius megnini (Dug null null e null null s), in late Pleistocene through middle Holocene deposits of the Paisley Caves site highlights an interesting aspect of prehistoric life not ordinarily visible through the analysis of traditional archaeological artifacts. A review of the literature provides ample evidence to postulate how the tick remains got into the cave deposits, and...