蜱类的起源和演化早期主要是通过以形态学和表型特征为依据构建的系统发生树进行推测。到20世纪90年代，通过形态学和分子生物学数据结合在一起的全证据方法进行系统发生分析，并结合生态学、比较寄生虫学、动物地理学、古生物学等方面的资料，对蜱类的起源和演化进行研究。文章综述有关蜱类起源和演化的3个代表性假说，并从蜱类起源和演化的时间、地点、原始宿主、华彩、生活史、寄生状态及蜱类区系演化等方面进行介绍。

The studies of tick genesis and evolution in the early time were basically derived from phylogenetic tree built on the tick morphology and phenotype. The approach of totalevidence to study the tick genesis and evolution was not set up until the 90's of the 20th century. It is a reliable approach that combines the comparative morphology and molecular biology, and is facilitated by the data of ecology, comparative parasitology, zoogeography and paleontology. In this paper, three representative hypotheses about tick genesis and evolution were reviewed. The information of the origin time, places, primitive hosts, ornateness, life cycles, parasitism status and zoogeography were also introduced.