Amblyomma triguttatum explained

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

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

Ecology

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

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]

Notes and References

1. Book: Alberto A. Guglielmone . Richard G. Robbins . Dmitry A. Apanaskevich . Trevor N. Petney . Agustín Estrada-Peña . Ivan G. Horak . The Hard Ticks of the World: (Acari: Ixodida: Ixodidae). Springer Science & Business Media. 2013. 510–11. 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.. 146. 1–2. 59–62. 20488632. 10.1016/j.vetmic.2010.04.018. Submitted manuscript.
3. Web site: Life cycle of Hard Ticks that Spread Disease . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . 19 December 2020.
4. Waudby. Helen P.. Petit. Sophie. Dixon. Bruce. Andrews. Ross H.. Hosts of the exotic ornate kangaroo tick, Amblyomma triguttatum triguttatum Koch, on southern Yorke Peninsula, South Australia. Parasitology Research. 101. 5 July 2007. 1323–1330. 10.1007/s00436-007-0642-4. 17611781.