Amblyomma rotundatum Koch, 1844

Benavides-Montaño, Javier Antonio, Betancourt-Echeverri, Jesus Antonio, Valencia, Gustavo López & Mesa-Cobo, Nora Cristina, 2022, A review of hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in Colombia: The risk of tick-borne diseases, Persian Journal of Acarology 11 (3), pp. 397-437 : 409

Amblyomma rotundatum Koch, 1844

It has been reported in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Grenada, Guadalupe, Guatemala, French Guiana, Jamaica, Martinique, south of Mexico, Panama, Peru, Surinam, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela ( Guglielmone et al. 2003; Onofrio et al. 2006; Guglielmone et al. 2010). This tick reproduces exclusively by parthenogenesis; in some cases, males have been observed ( Rodrigues et al. 2010). Some of its usual hosts are Paleosuchus palpebrosus and Boa constrictor ( Fiorini et al. 2014) . Its biological cycle has been thoroughly studied under different laboratory conditions ( Luz et al. 2013). Amblyomma rotundatum has been found on Rhinella marina (formerly B. marinus ). This tick has a huge distribution range from Argentina to Mexico, including the Caribbean Islands ( Wramc 1998; Acevedo et al. 2016). Recently, A. rotundatum was found associated with R. marina ( Anura : Bofonidae) in Palmira, Valle del Cauca, at 1000 m a.s.l., 76° 18' 00'' W, 3° 32' 00'' N, deposited in CEUNMP. (003-1, 003-7) ( Benavides-Montaño et al. 2018). All the ticks collected in this last mentioned study were adult females, which is consistent with the parthenogenesis described in the literature ( Barros-Battesti et al. 2006). Rhinella marina is widely distributed in Colombia and is located from tropical forest to subxerophytic places (0-2100 m a.s.l.) ( Ruiz-Carranza and Lynch 1996; Acosta-Galvis 2000). Ricketsia bellii has been described from A. ovale , A. rotundatum , A. sabanerae , tick species commonly found feeding on reptiles ( Barbieri et al. 2012). Ricketsia belli as also been reported infecting A. aureolatum , A. dubitatum , A. humerale , A. incisum , A. neumanni , A. nodosum , A. oblongoguttatum , A. ovale , A. scalpturatum , A. tigrinum , H. juxtakochi , Ixodes loricatus , A. longirostre . ( Labruna et al. 2004; McIntosh et al. 2015). Though R. bellii has been found on dogs and capybaras, the risk of infection for humans is remote ( Pacheco et al. 2007; Fortes et al. 2010).