''Amblyomma variegatum'', commonly known as the tropical bont tick, is a species of

tick Ticks (order Ixodida) are parasitic arachnids that are part of the mite superorder Parasitiformes. Adult ticks are approximately 3 to 5 mm in length depending on age, sex, species, and "fullness". Ticks are external parasites, living by ...

of the genus ''

Amblyomma ''Amblyomma'' is a genus of hard ticks. Some are disease vectors, for example the Rocky Mountain spotted fever in Brazil or ehrlichiosis in the United States. This genus is the third largest in the family Ixodidae, with its species primarily oc ...

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. It has spread from its

centre of origin A center of origin is a geographical area where a group of organisms, either domesticated or wild, first developed its distinctive properties. They are also considered centers of diversity. Centers of origin were first identified in 1924 by Ni ...

to several countries, including the

Caribbean islands Almost all of the Caribbean islands are in the Caribbean Sea, with only a few in inland lakes. The largest island is Cuba. Other sizable islands include Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago. Some of the smaller islands a ...

, where it is known as the Senegalese tick (due to the suspected introduction of the tick from cattle imports from that country) and the Antigua gold tick. They are vividly coloured (especially the males) and have a substantial impact on livestock, primarily through their transmission of diseases. They are three-host

hard ticks The Ixodidae are the family of hard ticks or scale ticks, one of the three families of ticks, consisting of over 700 species. They are known as 'hard ticks' because they have a scutum or hard shield, which the other major family of ticks, the 'sof ...

(where each life stage completes a blood meal on a particular host before dropping off and

ecdysis Ecdysis is the moulting of the cuticle in many invertebrates of the clade Ecdysozoa. Since the cuticle of these animals typically forms a largely inelastic exoskeleton, it is shed during growth and a new, larger covering is formed. The remnan ...

) that have been found on a variety of domesticated species such camels, cattle, goats, sheep, dogs, and various species of wildlife.

Control

Control programmes have not fared as well as for ''Rhipicephalus'' (''Boophilus'') spp. due to the wider host range. Kelly et al 2014 obtains good results using livestock tags impregnated with an attraction-aggregation-attachment pheromone and

acaricide Acaricides are pesticides that kill members of the arachnid subclass ''Acari'', which includes ticks and mites. Acaricides are used both in medicine and agriculture, although the desired selective toxicity differs between the two fields. Termin ...

. Their method shows promise for use elsewhere, if the problem of thick vegetation accidentally rubbing off the tags can be resolved. Maranga et al 2003 uses a AAA pheromone very differently, combined with CO₂ in a site on the ground instead of on a host. Over the next three hours 90% of ''A. variegatum'' within a close distance had travelled to the attracting site and those further away were somewhat attracted. Combining Maranga's technique with an

protects a

corral A pen is an enclosure for holding livestock. It may also perhaps be used as a term for an enclosure for other animals such as pets that are unwanted inside the house. The term describes types of enclosures that may confine one or many anima ...

feedlot A feedlot or feed yard is a type of animal feeding operation (AFO) which is used in intensive animal farming, notably beef cattle, but also swine, horses, sheep, turkeys, chickens or ducks, prior to slaughter. Large beef feedlots are called co ...

area.

References

External links

*
Tropical bont tick
on Featured Creatures website, Department of Entomology and Nematology,

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

Species Profile - Tropical Bont Tick (''Amblyomma variegatum'')
National Invasive Species Information Center,

United States National Agricultural Library The United States National Agricultural Library (NAL) is one of the world's largest agricultural research libraries, and serves as a national library of the United States and as the library of the United States Department of Agriculture. Located ...

. {{Taxonbar, from=Q4033890 Amblyomma Animals described in 1794 Arachnids of Africa Veterinary entomology