Family IXODIDAE Dugès, 1834
- Ixodei Dugès, A.L. 1834. Recherches sur l'ordre des Acariens en général et la famille des Trombidiés en particular. Annales des Sciences Naturelles, Zoologie 2 1: 5-46 pl. 1 [original spelling].
Introduction
Recent research in molecular systematics has allowed significant improvements in the classification of the Australian Ixodidae. The species that were previously placed in the genus Aponomma have been transferred to either Bothriocroton or Amblyomma. Also, the genus Boophilus, which includes the economically important cattle tick Boophilus microplus, is now considered to be a junior synonym of Rhipicephalus. The Australian Ixodidae are now classified into the genera Amblyomma, Bothriocroton, Haemaphysalis, Ixodes, Rhipicephalus, and possibly Hyalomma. Barker & Walker (2014) provided a detailed review of the species that infest domestic animals and humans. Barker et al. (2014) listed the 70 species of ticks that occur Australia and summarised their host relationships.
Several species of Ixodidae have been recorded from Australia on the basis of misidentifications or other errors. These are listed here, with brief explanatory notes, and their names are also listed under Species Excluded below.
The Australian cattle tick has been known for over 100 years as Boophilus microplus (Canestrini). However, it is now known that the correct name of the Australian cattle tick is Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) australis Fuller, 1899.
Amblyomma helvolum was recorded from Varanus sp. at Quambone, NSW by Robinson (1926) and Taylor (1946), but this identification has been regarded as doubtful by Roberts (1953, 1964), and Voltzit & Keirans (2002) considered it to be a misidentification. The difficulties involved in the identification of this species have been described in detail by Anastos (1950).
Cooper & Robinson (1908) described Aponomma quadratum from a single specimen from Quambone, NSW. This name is now regarded as a synonym of A. varanensis (Supino, 1897). However, the species has not been collected since the original description, and its presence in Australia cannot be confirmed (Kaufman 1972; Keirans & Hillyard 2001).
Dermacentor atrosignatus was described by Neumann (1906) as probably Australian in origin, and this opinion was repeated by Neumann (1911) and Fielding (1926). However, this species is now considered as not being present in Australia (Roberts 1970; Wassef & Hoogstraal 1984; Estrada-Peña 1989).
Dermacentor variabilis was recorded from a living specimen in Canberra, after it had apparently been brought from USA on a passenger aircraft (Halliday & Sutherst, 1990). However, the species has not become established in Australia.
There are some early records of Haemaphysalis leachi and Haemaphysalis leachi var. australis in Australia. These originally came from specimens identified by Froggatt (1900). This record, and records of H. leachi or H. leachi var australis by Rainbow (1906), Ferguson (1925), Fielding (1926) and Taylor (1946) have been relegated to synonymy under H. bancrofti (see Roberts, 1963 for details). Haemaphysalis leachi var australis was shown as a possible synonym of H. konigsbergeri by Anastos (1950). Roberts (1953) and Estrada-Peña (1989) however, regarded this synonymy as unlikely and considered that H. konigsbergeri does not occur in Australia.
Haemaphysalis papuana Thorell was recorded from Australia by Canestrini (1884) and Rainbow (1906), but Roberts (1963) showed that these records also refer to H. bancrofti.
Tubb (1937, 1938) recorded Ixodes percavatus from Australia. Arthur (1955) and Roberts (1960) show that these records of Ixodes percavatus actually refer to I. kohlsi. Roberts, however, does not refer to other records of I. percavatus from Australia, namely those of Nuttall (1916), Ferguson (1925) and Fielding (1926). The latter two records are simply repetitions of the record of Nuttall (1916). That record is based on a specimen that Neumann identified as I. eudyptidis (see Ferguson, 1925). Ixodes percavatus Neumann is considered to be absent from Australia. The records of I. percavatus cited by Taylor (1946) refer to I. eudyptidis (Perth) and I. kohlsi (Lady Julia Percy Island).
Ixodes percavatus var. rothschildi was described by Nuttall & Warburton (1911) from an unknown locality. Arthur (1953) raised the variety to the species level, and recorded this species from Perth, W.A., on the basis of two females referred to as "N.1850 = Cleland 17". This same material was listed by Nuttall (1916) under I. percavatus (but not var. rothschildi), and is now believed to be I. eudyptidis (see note under I. percavatus). Arthur states that the known records of I. rothschildi are all from the British Isles.
The alleged Australian record of Ixodes vespertilionis originates from Nuttall & Warburton (1911), who cite the origin of their specimens as Kingwilliamstown, South Australia. This actually refers to King William's Town, South Africa (Hoogstraal 1956; Roberts 1960). Fielding (1926) recorded I. vespertilionis from north Queensland, and Roberts (1960) and Arthur (1963) considered it to be present in NSW. However, Roberts (1970) again considered this species as not present in Australia. This species has had a very complex taxonomic history, as reviewed by Camicas et al. (1998).
A number of early authors recorded Haemaphysalis bispinosa Neumann, 1897 from Australia. All these records are now considered to refer to H. longicornis (see Roberts 1970).
Amblyomma diemeniae was described by Schulze (1950) from the Australian snake Diemenia textilis in the Berlin Aquarium. Schulze regarded this as an Australian species of tick, but it is not mentioned in the review of Australian ticks by Roberts (970), and it is not clear whether Schulze's specimens were of Australian origin. Keirans & Clifford (1984) listed this species as "[Origin ? Australia]". Camicas et al. (1998) listed A. diemeniae as a possible synonym of A. argentinae Neumann, and that opinion was later confirmed (Guglielmone et al., 2017).
Excluded Taxa
- Misidentifications
Ixodidae: Amblyomma helvolum Koch, 1844 [see notes under Ixodidae above]
Ixodidae: Amblyomma quadratum Cooper & Robinson, 1908 [see notes under Ixodidae above]
Ixodidae: Aponomma varanensis Supino, 1897 [see notes under Ixodidae above]
Ixodidae: Boophilis microplus (Canestrini, 1888) [see notes under Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) australis]
Ixodidae: Dermacentor atrosignatus Neumann, 1906 [see notes under Ixodidae above]
Ixodidae: Dermacentor variabilis (Say, 1821) [see notes under Ixodidae above]
Ixodidae: Haemaphysalis bispinosa Neumann, 1897 [see notes under Ixodidae above]
Ixodidae: Haemaphysalis konigsbergeri Warburton & Nuttall, 1909 [see notes under Ixodidae above]
Ixodidae: Haemaphysalis leachi australis Neumann, 1905 [see notes under Ixodidae above]
Ixodidae: Haemaphysalis leachi Andouin, 1826 [see notes under Ixodidae above]
Ixodidae: Haemaphysalis papuana Thorell, 1882 [see notes under Ixodidae above]
IXODIDAE: Hyalomma aegyptium (Linnaeus, 1758) [see Hyalomma dromedarii]
Ixodidae: Ixodes percavatus Neumann, 1906 [see notes under Ixodidae above]
Ixodidae: Ixodes rothschildi Nuttall & Warburton, 1911 [see notes under Ixodidae above]
Ixodidae: Ixodes vespertilionis Koch, 1844 [see notes under Ixodidae above]
- Other Excluded
IXODIDAE: Amblyomma diemeniae Schulze, 1950
General References
Anastos, G. 1950. The scutate ticks, or Ixodidae, of Indonesia. Entomologica Americana 30: 1-144
Arthur, D.R. 1953. The systematic status of Ixodes percavatus var. rothschildi Nuttall & Warburton, 1911. Parasitology 43: 222-226
Arthur, D.R. 1955. Ixodes kohlsi, a new species of tick from Australia. Journal of Parasitology 41: 18-23
Arthur, D.R. 1963. British Ticks. London : Butterworths 213 pp.
Barker, S.C., Walker, A.R. & Campelo, D. 2014. A list of the 70 species of Australian ticks; diagnostic guides to and species accounts of Ixodes holocyclus (paralysis tick), Ixodes cornuatus (southern paralysis tick) and Rhipicephalus australis (Australian cattle tick); and consideration of the place of Australia in the evolution of ticks with comments on four controversial ideas. International Journal for Parasitology 44: 941-953.
Barker, S.C. & Walker, A.R. 2014. Ticks of Australia. The species that infest domestic animals and humans. Zootaxa 3816: 1-144.
Canestrini, G. 1884. Acari nuovi o poco noti. Atti del Reale Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti 6 2: 693-724 pls VI-IX
Cooper, W.F. & Robinson, L.E. 1908. On six new species of Ixodidae, including a second species of the new genus Rhipicentor N. & W. Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 14: 457-470
Ferguson, E.W. 1925. Australian ticks. The Australian Zoologist 4: 24-35
Fielding, J.W. 1926. Australasian ticks. Commonwealth of Australia Department of Health, Service Publication (Tropical Division) 9: 1-114
Froggatt, W.W. 1900. Notes on a collection of ticks, determined by Professor Neumann. Agricultural Gazette of New South Wales 11: 540-542
Guglielmone, A.A., Petney, T.N., Mastropaolo, M. & Robbins, R.G. 2017. Genera, subgenera, species and subspecies of hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) described, named, renamed or given new rank by Paul Schulze (1887–1949) and their current status. Zootaxa 4325(1): 1-66.
Halliday, R.B. & Sutherst, R.W. 1990. An Australian record of the American Dog Tick Dermacentor variabilis, and the risk of its establishment outside North America. Experimental and Applied Acarology 8: 65-70
Keirans, J.E. & Hillyard, P.D. 2001. A catalogue of the type specimens of Ixodida (Acari: Argasidae, Ixodidae) deposited in The Natural History Museum, London. Occasional Papers on Systematic Entomology 13: 1-74
Neumann, L.G. 1906. Ixodidé nouveau de l'Australie. Notes from the Leyden Museum 28: 218-220
Neumann, L.G. 1911. Ixodidae. Das Tierreich 26: 1-169 (Reprinted 1966 by Verlag von J. Cramer, Weinheim)
Nuttall, G.H.F. 1916. Notes on ticks. IV. Relating to the genus Ixodes and including a description of three new species and two new varieties. Parasitology 8: 294-337
Rainbow, W.J. 1906. A synopsis of Australian Acarina. Records of the Australian Museum 6: 145-193
Roberts, F.H.S. 1953. The Australian species of Aponomma and Amblyomma (Ixodoidea). Australian Journal of Zoology 1: 111-161 pls 1-4
Roberts, F.H.S. 1960. A systematic study of the Australian species of the genus Ixodes (Acarina : Ixodidae). Australian Journal of Zoology 8: 392-485
Roberts, F.H.S. 1963. A systematic study of the Australian species of the genus Haemaphysalis Koch (Acarina : Ixodidae). Australian Journal of Zoology 11: 35-80
Roberts, F.H.S. 1964. Further observations on the Australian species of Aponomma and Amblyomma with descriptions of the nymphs of Amblyomma moreliae (L. Koch) and Amb. loculosum Neumann (Acarina : Ixodidae). Australian Journal of Zoology 12: 288-313
Roberts, F.H.S. 1970. Australian Ticks. Melbourne : CSIRO 267 pp.
Schulze, P. 1950. Amblyomma diemeniae, eine neue schlangenzecke aus Australien nebst bemerkungen über abweichende clavabildungen in der Gattung Amblyomma. Zeitschrift für Parasitenkunde 14: 432-441
Springett, J.A. 1979. The effects of a single hot summer fire on soil fauna and on litter decomposition in jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest in Western Australia. Australian Journal of Ecology 4: 279-291
Supino, F. 1897. Nuovi Ixodes della Birmania (Nota preventiva). Atti della Società Veneto-Trentina di Scienze Naturali, Padova 3(1): 230-238
Taylor, F.H. 1946. Spiders, ticks and mites, including the species harmful to man in Australia and New Guinea. Section 1. Descriptive. Commonwealth of Australia Department of Health, Service Publications (School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, University of Sydney) 6: 1-234
Tubb, J.A., 1937. Arachnida. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 49: 412-419
Tubb, J.A., 1938. Ixodoidea. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria 50: 346-347
Voltzit, O.V. & Keirans, J.E 2002. A review of Asian Amblyomma species (Acari, Ixodida, Ixodidae). Acarina. Russian Journal of Acarology 10(2): 95-136
Wassef, H.Y. & Hoogstraal, H. 1984. Dermacentor (Indocentor) atrosignatus (Acari : Ixodoidea : Ixodidae) Identity of male and female. Journal of Medical Entomology 21: 586-591
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05-Dec-2019 | Acari | 20-Sep-2021 | MODIFIED | Dr Bruce Halliday |
| 01-May-2017 | Acari | 20-Sep-2021 | MODIFIED | Dr Bruce Halliday |
| 13-Nov-2014 | IXODIDAE Dugès, 1834 | 12-Nov-2014 | ADDED | Lyn Randall |
| 07-May-2013 | 20-Sep-2021 | MODIFIED | ||
| 07-May-2013 | 20-Sep-2021 | MODIFIED | ||
| 07-May-2013 | 20-Sep-2021 | MODIFIED | ||
| 07-May-2013 | 20-Sep-2021 | MODIFIED | ||
| 12-Feb-2010 | (import) |