''Amblyomma triste'' is a tick in the '' Amblyomma'' genus. The tick can be found in Venezuela, Argentina, Brasil, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay. Though not thought to be endemic to North America, a 2010 study found 27 specimens in 18 separate collections that had previously been misidentified in the United States. The species has been found to carry the human-infectious ''

Rickettsia parkeri ''Rickettsia parkeri'' (abbreviated ''R. parkeri'') is a gram-negative intracellular bacterium. The organism is found in the Western Hemisphere and is transmitted via the bite of hard ticks of the genus '' Amblyomma''. ''R. parkeri'' causes mil ...

'' which produces symptoms similar to

Rocky Mountain spotted fever Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) is a bacterial disease spread by ticks. It typically begins with a fever and headache, which is followed a few days later with the development of a rash. The rash is generally Petechial rash, made up of small s ...

. The tick is the only tick responsible for tick-borne disease in humans in Uruguay, and has been identified as a significant vector of disease in Argentina and Brazil. The tick was first described by Koch in 1844. The tick is morphologically similar to '' Amblyomma maculatum'' and '' Amblyomma tigrinum'', both of which are also carriers of ''Rickettsia parkeri''. Identification of the species in North America is often complicated due to the fact that they are

cryptic species In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

with those two species.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q6049554 Ticks Amblyomma Animals described in 1844 Arachnids of Argentina Arachnids of Brazil Arachnids of Colombia Arachnids of Peru Arachnids of Uruguay Arachnids of Venezuela Taxa named by Carl Ludwig Koch