Host associations of the Asian monitor lizard tick Amblyomma varanense (Supino, 1897) (Ixodida: Ixodidae), with a new host record from the Philippines

Abstract

Amblyomma varanense (Supino) (Ixodida: Ixodidae) is a reptile-associated bont tick native to the Oriental and Australasian zoogeographic regions. This species is primarily ectoparasitic on monitor lizards (Varanidae) and snakes but has been reported to occasionally occur on turtles and mammals. Prior to the research described here, only one collection of A. varanense had been reported from the Philippines. Herein, we present a second Philippines collection of A. varanense as well as updated host records across this tick’s geographic range and an overview of associated microbes with zoonotic potential.