Abstract
ABSTRACTInfestation by ticks affects several vertebrate groups, including tortoises. Testudo species are among chelonian fauna that are infested in their natural habitat by several tick species, with Hyalomma aegyptium as the dominant one. We report a heavy tick infestation found in female T. graeca in May 2018 in Had Draa (Essaouira region, Morocco). The female, with carapace length of 175 mm and body weight of 779.3 g was found to be infested by 288 H. aegyptium in different stages. It was more infested by female ticks than males, and the hind limbs (59.6%) and forelimbs (30.25%) were the most frequent predilection sites of ticks. Our data provide the first record of massive parasitism by H. aegyptium in this vulnerable and threatened tortoise.
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