First report of Amblyomma helvolum (Acari: Ixodidae) from the Taiwan stink snake, Elaphe carinata (Reptilia: Colubridae), collected in southern Taiwan.
A Taiwan stink snake (Elaphe carinata) was captured in shrubbery at a fruit farm in southern Taiwan, and 3 female ticks (2 flat, one fully engorged) observed on this snake were collected and identified as Amblyomma helvolum, the first record of this host association in mainland Taiwan. The key morphological characters of female A. helvolum were photographed using a stereomicroscope. This first report of A. helvolum feeding on a reptilian host in Taiwan includes the first color illustrations of adult A. helvolum ever published. The increased international trade in wild reptiles may contribute to accidental transportation of ticks into Taiwan. The host range and vector capacity of A. helvolum for various tick-borne pathogens need to be further clarified.
Graduate Institute of Pathology and Parasitology, Department of Parasitology and Tropical Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan, ROC.
Li-Lian
LL
Chao
Chin-Kuei
CK
Hsieh
Chien-Ming
CM
Shih
D000818:Animals; D017812:Colubridae / Q000469:parasitology*; D005260:Female; D026863:Ixodidae / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification*; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*