Hosts of Amblyomma dissimile Koch, 1844 and Amblyomma rotundatum Koch, 1844 (Acari: Ixodidae)

Abstract

Host records of Amblyomma dissimile Koch, 1844 and Amblyomma rotundatum Koch, 1844 from the literature were critically reviewed. A total of 417 records on 101 species of tetrapods, and 193 records in 74 species of tetrapods were determined for A. dissimile and A. rotundatum, respectively. Aves have been found only once infested with A. dissimile. This tick has been detected on four species of Bufonidae, while A. rotundatum has been recorded on 13 species from six families of Anura. Crocodilia has been recorded infested by A. rotundatum (captive host, one species) and A. dissimile (two species). Sixteen species of Mammalia from ten families and eight species from eight families have been found infested with A. dissimile and A. rotundatum, including humans, respectively. A total of 63 species of Squamata (10 families) were found infested with A. dissimile, while the corresponding numbers for A. rotundatum are 45 species in nine families. A total of 15 species of Testudines (four families) and nine species (three families) have been found infested with A. dissimile and A. rotundatum, respectively. When infestation on captive and laboratory hosts were excluded from the analysis the number of species naturally infested with A. dissimile diminished to 88 and 58 for A. rotundatum. However, natural hosts infested with larvae, nymphs and adults of A. dissimile are Bufo marinus (Linnaeus), Bufo peltocephalus Tschudi, Proechimys semispinosus (Tomes), Boa constrictor Linnaeus, Epicrates striatus (Fischer), Oxybelis aeneus (Wagler), Cyclura cychlura (Cuvier), Iguana iguana (Linnaeus), Tupinambis teguixin (Linnaeus) and Trachemys scripta (Thunberg), but the commonest hosts harbouring all parasitic stages are B. marinus, B. constrictor and I. iguana. Hosts for all parasitic stages of A. rotundatum are B. marinus, Bufo schneideri Werner and B. constrictor, although records on B. marinus are considerably higher than the records on the other two hosts. The contribution of sheep and Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (Linnaeus) as hosts of A. dissimile, and Dasypus novemcinctus Linnaeus as host of A. rotundatum, were overestimated in previous studies. The ample host-range of these tick species may partly explain their wide distribution from southern U.S.A. to northern Argentina, but there are also chances that more than one species are represented under the names A. dissimile and A. rotundatum.