Fig. 1

Synthetic representation of the historical trajectory of the different waves of dispersal of hematophagous arthropods. The gray arrow at the top of the figure represents the years from 3000 BC to present time. The solid black lines within the arrow relate to important historical events linked to the dispersion of species (the dotted parts show events either ongoing or with no clear end). Hematophagous arthropod species are identified on the right side of the figure, followed by a symbol representing the taxon (see symbols legend). Each line represents a different wave of dispersal (species with several waves are shown with brackets). For each wave, the geographical details are written following the format “Native Area Alien Area.” Symbols represent the mode of introduction (mechanical and/or via animal hosts) for each wave (see symbols legend). The solid black line represents the time frame of the species’ presence in the alien area. The dotted parts at the end of the lines show either uncertainty in the establishment/extinction dates (particularly when the entire line is dotted) or introduction/extinction occurring during an extended period of time. When the species has become extinct in the alien area, a symbol at the right end of the line represents the mode of extinction (see symbols legend)