Amblyomma maculatum

Amblyomma maculatum is a species of tick in the genus Amblyomma. Immatures usually infest small mammals and birds that dwell on the ground; cotton rats may be particularly favored hosts. Some recorded hosts include:

Geothlypis trichas
Cardinalis cardinalis
Passerina ciris
Sialia sialis
Thryothorus ludovicianus
Troglodytes aedon
Zonotrichia albicollis
Dog
Dama dama
Human
Eastern woodrat
Odocoileus virginianus
Marsh rice rat
Cotton mouse
Hispid cotton rat
Pig
Sylvilagus palustris

In 2013, the infectious agent of American [tick bite fever], Rickettsia parkeri was detected in a female A. maculatum collected at Bombay Hook [National Wildlife Refuge], near Smyrna, Delaware, providing the first evidence of association of this pathogen of humans with this species of tick in the state.

Literature cited

Clark, K.L., Oliver, J.H., Jr., Grego, J.M., James, A.M., Durden, L.A. and Banks, C.W. 2001. Host associations of ticks parasitizing rodents at Borrelia burgdorferi enzootic sites in South Carolina. Journal of Parasitology 87:1379–1386.
Wilson, N. and Durden, L.A. 2003. . Journal of Biogeography 30:1207–1220.

Category:Amblyomma
Category:Animals described in 1844
Category:Arachnids of North America