Amblyomma triguttatum

Amblyomma triguttatum
Amblyomma triguttatum female
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Ixodida
Family: Ixodidae
Genus: Amblyomma
Species:
A. triguttatum
Binomial name
Amblyomma triguttatum
Koch, 1844

Amblyomma triguttatum, commonly known as the kangaroo tick, is a species of tick in the genus Amblyomma native to Australia, in Western Australia, parts of Queensland, and in New South Wales.

Subspecies[edit]

There are four subspecies, one or more of which might be separate species.[1] The nominate subspecies is a vector for Rickettsia.[2]

Ecology[edit]

Like all species in its family, Ixodidae (known as hard ticks), the kangaroo tick is a parasitic arachnid and is an obligate hematophage, solely consuming blood for its nutritional needs.[3]

Hosts[edit]

Thought to be a carrier of Q fever, in addition to parasitising macropods such as western grey kangaroos and Tammar wallabies, it has been found on a variety of other mammalian hosts, including black rats, European rabbits, domesticated dogs and cats, and humans.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Alberto A. Guglielmone; Richard G. Robbins; Dmitry A. Apanaskevich; Trevor N. Petney; Agustín Estrada-Peña; Ivan G. Horak (2013). The Hard Ticks of the World: (Acari: Ixodida: Ixodidae). Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 510–11. ISBN 9789400774971.
  2. ^ Li AY, Adams PJ, Abdad MY, Fenwick SG (2010). "High prevalence of Rickettsia gravesii sp. nov. in Amblyomma triguttatum collected from feral pigs". Vet. Microbiol. (Submitted manuscript). 146 (1–2): 59–62. doi:10.1016/j.vetmic.2010.04.018. PMID 20488632.
  3. ^ "Life cycle of Hard Ticks that Spread Disease". Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
  4. ^ Waudby, Helen P.; Petit, Sophie; Dixon, Bruce; Andrews, Ross H. (5 July 2007). "Hosts of the exotic ornate kangaroo tick, Amblyomma triguttatum triguttatum Koch, on southern Yorke Peninsula, South Australia". Parasitology Research. Vol. 101. pp. 1323–1330. doi:10.1007/s00436-007-0642-4. PMID 17611781.