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Ticks of Australia

List of Australian Ticks

Hyperlinked species have further information provided.

Tick Species Described by Common name Distribution Native Status
Amblyomma albolimbatum Neumann stump-tailed lizard tick   native
Aponomma auruginans       native
Amblyomma australiense       native
Amblyomma echidnae       native
Amblyomma limbatum Neumann     native
Amblyomma loculosum Neumann     native
Amblyomma moreliae Koch snake tick   native
Amblyomma moyi       native
Amblyomma papuanum       native
Amblyomma postoculatum     King Is native
Amblyomma triguttatum Koch ornate kangaroo tick   native
Aponomma concolor Neumann echidna tick   native
Aponomma fimbriatum Koch goanna tick   native
Aponomma hydrosauri Denny blue-tongued lizard tick   native
Aponomma auruginans Schulze wombat tick   native
Aponomma undatum   goanna tick   native
Argas (Carios) sp (an argasid tick)   bats   native
Argas persicus (an argasid tick) Oken fowl tick    
Argas Robertsi (an argasid tick) Hoogstral, Kaiser & Kohls Robert's fowl tick    
Boophilus microplus Canestrini cattle tick Qld, NT, WA, northeastern NSW Introduced at Darwin on cattle from Indonesia in 1872, it spread through Queensland and reached NSW in 1906
Haemaphysalis bancrofti Nuttall and Warburton wallaby tick coastal Qld and NSW to Nowra, Kangaroo Is (SA) native
Haemaphysalis bremneri Roberts     native
Haemaphysalis humerosa Warburton and Nuttall bandicoot tick   native
Haemaphysalis longicornis   scrub tick, bush tick, New Zealand cattle tick southern coastal Qld, coastal NSW, northeastern Vic, esp Murray Valley Introduced from northern Japan, it was first recognised in 1901 in northeastern NSW
Haemaphysalis novaeguinae Hirst     native
Haemaphysalis ratti Kohls     native
Ixodes antechini Roberts     native
Ixodes auritulus Neumann   Tas native
Ixodes australiensis Neumann indigenous tick WA and Tas native
Ixodes confusus Roberts     native
Ixodes cordifer Neumann   Far North Queensland native
Ixodes cornuatus Roberts indigenous tick southeast coastal NSW, central Vic, Tas native
Ixodes eudyptidis Maskell     native
Ixodes fecialis Warburton and Nuttall     native
Ixodes holocyclus Neumann paralysis tick Qld to Bairnsdale in Vic native
Ixodes hirsti Hassall cat tick   native
Ixodes hydromyidis Swan     native
Ixodes kohlsi Arthur penguin tick   native
Ixodes kopsteini Oudemans     native
Ixodes myrmecobi   indigenous tick southwest of WA native
Ixodes ornithorhynchi Lucas platypus tick   native
Ixodes pterodromae Arthur     native
Ixodes rothschildi Nuttall and Warburton     native
Ixodes simplex simplex Neumann     native
Ixodes tasmani Neumann possum tick, opossum tick Tas, Vic, NSW. Qld, SA, WA native
Ixodes trichosuri Roberts possum ixodes   native; possum, koala, wombat
Ixodes uriae White     native
Ixodes vespertilionis Koch     native
Ixodes vestitus Neumann numbat tick   native
Ixodes victoriensis Nuttall     native
Ornithodoros capensis (an argasid tick) Neumann penguin tick  
Ornithodoros gurneyi (an argasid tick)   kangaroo tick found in western NSW through Queensland to the Gulf of Carpentaria native
Otobius megnini   

spinose ear tick

Perth region ("Foreign tick discovered in WA"; Friday, 21 June 2002; Sourced from ABC News Online on Aug 6, 2002)

introduced
Rhipicephalus sanguineus Lattreille brown dog tick mainly inland areas of Qld, WA, NSW, Vic, but found mostly in northern parts of Australia; also worldwide betrween latitudes 50 deg N and 30 deg S introduced?

List of Australian Hosts & their Ticks

From: Roberts, F.H.S. (1970). Australian Ticks. CSIRO, Melbourne.

Host group Host Family Host Species Common Names Tick Species
Monotremata Ornithorhynchidae Ornithorhynchus anatinus (Shaw and Nodder, 1799) platypus Ixodes ornithorhynchus, Amblyomma triguttatum triguttatum
  Tachyglossidae Tachyglossus aculeatus echidna Aponomma concolor, Ixodes holocylus, Ixodes tasmani, Haemaphysalis humerosa, Amblyomma australiense, Amblyomma echidnae, Amblyomma moyi, Amblyomma papuanum, and Aponomma hydrosauri and Aponomma undatum
Marsupialia Dasyuridae Antechinus flavipes (Waterhouse, 1838) yellow-footed marsupial mouse Ixodes antechini, Ixodes fecialis, Ixodes holocyclus, Ixodes tasmani
    Antechinus sp antechinus Ixodes fecialis
    Phascogale tapoatafa (Meyer, 1793) brush-tailed marsupial rat Ixodes holocyclus
    Marsupial rat marsupial rat Ixodes tasmani
    Sminthopsis crassicaudata (Gould, 1844) fat-tailed marsupial mouse Ixodes fecialis
    Sminthopsis murina (Waterhouse, 1838) grey marsupial mouse Ixodes antechini
  Dasyuris quoll (Zimmermann, 1777) eastern native cat Ixodes fecialis
  Dasyurus geoffroyii (Gould, 1841) western native cat Ixodes fecialis
    Dasyurops maculatus (Kerr, 1792) tiger cat Ixodes tasmani
    Native cat native cat Ixodes fecialis
    Sarcophilus harrisii (Boitard, 1841) Tasmanian devil Ixodes tasmani
  Myrmecobiidae Myrmecobius fasciatus (Waterhouse, 1836) banded ant-eater Ixodes fecialis, Ixodes vestitus
  Peramelidae Isoodon obesulus (Shaw and Nodder, 1797) short-nosed bandicoot Ixodes fecialis, Ixodes holocyclus, Ixodes tasmani
    Isoodon torosus (Ramsay, 1877) giant brindled bandicoot Ixodes holocyclus
    Perameles nasuta (Geoffroy, 1804) long-nosed bandicoot Ixodes holocyclus
    Perameles sp bandicoot Ixodes holocyclus, Ixodes tasmani, Ixodes fecialis
  Phalangeridae Pseudocheirus peregrinus (Boddaert, 1785) ring-tail possum Ixodes hirsti
    Pseudocheirus laniginosus (Gould, 1858) south eastern ring-tail possum Iixodes tasmani
    Pseudocheirus sp   Ixodes tasmani
    Petaurus sp glider Ixodes tasmani
    Schoinbates volans (Kerr, 1792) greater glider Ixodes tasmani
    Phalanger intercastellanus   Ixodes cordifer
    Trichosurus vulpecula (Kerr, 1792) brush-tailed possum Ixodes holocyclus, Ixodes tasmani, Ixodes trichosuri
    Trichosurus sp possum Ixodes tasmani
    Possum possum Ixodes holocyclus, Ixodes tasmani, Ixodes fecialis
    Dactylopsila trivirgata striped possum Ixodes holocyclus, Ixodes cordifer
  Phascolarctidae Phascolarctos cinereus (Goldfuss, 1817) koala Ixodes cornuatus, Ixodes holocyclus, Ixodes hirsti, Ixodes tasmani, Haemaphysalis sp
  Vombatidae Vombatus hirsutus (Perry, 1810) common wombat Ixodes victoriensis
  Wombat wombat Ixodes tasmani, Ixodes victoriensis, Aponomma auruginans wombat specific, probably the most common
  Macropodidae Bettongia leseur (Quoy and Gaimard, 1824) rat kangaroo Ixodes australiensis
    Bettongia penicillata (Gray, 1837) brush-tailed rat kangaroo Ixodes australiensis
  Dendrolagus lumholtzi (Collett, 1884) tree kangaroo Ixodes holocyclus
    Protemnodon bicolor (Desmarest, 1804) black-tailed wallaby Ixodes holocyclus, Ixodes hirsti
    Protemnodon sp   Ixodes tasmani
    Setonix brachyurus (Quoy and Gaimard, 1830) quokka Ixodes australiensis
    Macropus sp unidentified kangaroos and wallabies Ixodes cornuatus, Ixodes hirsti, Ixodes australiensis, Ixodes holocyclus, Ixdoes fecialis
Lagomorpha Leporidae Oryctolagus cuniculus (Linnaeus, 1758) wild rabbit Ixodes holocylus, Ixodes tasmani
Rodentia Muridae Hydromys chrysogaster (Geoffroy, 1804) eastern water rat Ixodes holocyclus, Ixodes tasmani
    Hydromys fuliginosus (Gould, 1853) western water rat Ixodes tasmani, Ixodes hydromyidis
    Rattus assimilis (Gould, 1858) allied rat Ixodes fecialis, Ixodes holocyclus, Ixodes tasmani, Ixodes hirsti
    Rattus conatus (Thomas, 1923) dusky field-rat Ixodes fecialis, Ixodes holocylus
    Rattus calmorum   Ixodes fecialis
    Rattus rattus (Linnaeus, 1758) black rat Ixodes fecialis, Ixodes hydromyidis, Ixodes holocyclus
    Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1769) brown rat Ixodes holocylus, Ixodes tasmani
    Rattus sp rats Ixodes fecialis, Ixodes hydromyidis, Ixodes holocyclus
    Mus musculus (Linnaeus, 1758) house mouse Ixodes holocyclus
    Mus sp mice Ixodes fecialis
  Conilurus albipes (Lichtenstein, 1829) white-footed rabbit-rat Ixodes tasmani
    Rabbit-rat   Ixodes tasmani
    Melomys cervinipes (Gould, 1852) scale-tailed tree-rat Ixodes holocyclus
    Melomys littoralis (Lönneberg, 1916) little tree-rat Ixodes holocyclus
    Uromys caudimaculatus (Kreoft, 1867) giant sacle-tailed rat Ixodes holocyclus
    Uromys sp   Ixodes tasmani, Ixodes holocyclus
Carnivora Felidae Felis catus (Linnaeus, 1758) cat Ixodes fecialis, Ixodes holocyclus, Ixodes hirsti, Ixodes tasmani, Ixodes cornuatus
  Canidae Canis familiaris (Linnaeus, 1758) domestic dog Ixodes cornuatus, Ixodes holocyclus, Ixodes tasmani, Ixodes australiensis
    Canis [familiaris] dingo (Meyer, 1793) dingo Ixodes holocyclus
Chiroptera Vespertilionidae Miniopteris schreibersii blepotis (Temminck, 1840) bent-winged bat Ixodes simplex simplex, Ixodes vespertilionis
    Pteropus conspicillatus spectacled flying fox Ixodes holocyclus
Artiodactyla Suidae Sus scrofa (Linnaeus, 1758) pig Ixodes holocyclus
  Bovidae Bos taurus (Linnaeus, 1758) ox Ixodes holocyclus, Ixodes australiensis
    Ovis aries (Linnaeus, 1758) sheep Ixodes holocyclus
    Capra hircus (Linnaeus, 1758) goat Ixodes holocyclus
Perissodactyla Equidae Equus caballus (Linnaeus, 1758) horse Ixodes holocyclus
Primates Hominidae Homo sapiens (Linnaeus, 1758) man Ixodes holocyclus, Ixodes tasmani, Ixodes confusus, Ixodes kohlsi, Amblyomma triguttatum, Ornithodoros gurneyi
Reptiles   Species of the genera Amblyomma, Aponomma, Hyalomma and Ornithodoros are most common
Ophidia Colubridae Demansia textilis (Dumeril and Bibron, 1854) brown snake Ixodes vestitus
Lacertilia Scincidae Tiliqua scincoides (Shaw, 1790) blue-tongue lizard Ixodes ornithorhynci
Pelecaniformes Phalacrocoracidae Phalacrocorax fuscescens (Vieillot, 1817) cormorant Ixodes kohlsi
Sphenisciformes Spheniscidae Eudyptula minor (Forster,1791) little penguin Ixodes kohlsi, Ixodes eudyptidis, Ixodes rothschildi
    Eudyptula sp penguin Ixodes kohlsi, Ixodes uriae
Passeriformes Pittadae Pitta sp dragoon bird Ixodes holocyclus
  Sylviidae Pycnoptilus floccosus (Gould, 1851) pilot bird Ixodes sp (nymph)
  Corvidae Corvus coronoides (Vigors and Horsefield, 1827) raven Ixodes holocyclus
  Acanthizidae Sericornis frontalis (Vigors and Horsefield, 1827) scrub raven Ixodes sp (larva)
Procellariiformes Diomedeidae Diomedia exulans (Linnaeus, 1758) wandering albatross Ixodes pterodromae, Ixodes uriae
  Procellariidae Puffinus tenuirostris (Temminck, 1835) Tasmanian mutton bird Ixodes kohlsi (in nests)

List of Ticks Recorded on Dogs

From: Kelly, JD: Canine Parasitology, Veterinary Review No 17; The Post-Graduate Foundation in Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, 1977.

Species Common Names Distribution Notes
Ixodes australiensis indigenous tick WA and Tas
Ixodes cornuatus indigenous tick Southeast coastal NSW, central Vic, Tas May cause paralysis
Ixodes holocyclus paralysis tick Qld to Bairnsdale in Vic Causes paralysis
Ixodes hirsti cat tick May cause paralysis
Ixodes tasmani possum tick, opossum tick Tas, Vic, NSW, Qld, SA, WA
Ixodes myrmecobi indigenous tick southwest of WA
Boophilus microplus cattle tick Qld, NT, WA, northeastern NSW Rare on dogs; transmits the cattle blood parasites Babesia bovis and Babesia bigemina
Haemaphysalis bancrofti wallaby tick Coastal Qld and NSW to Nowra, Kangaroo Is (SA)
Haemaphysalis longicornis scrub tick, bush tick, New Zealand cattle tick Southern coastal Qld, coastal NSW, northeastern Vic, esp Murray Valley; introduced from Japan This tick has been in New Zealand since about 1900 and is now found around the Western Pacific rim and on some Pacific Islands including Hawaii and Vanuatu. It has only moderate vector potential. Does not transmit babesiosis.
Rhipicephalus sanguineus brown dog tick Mainly inland areas of Qld, WA, NSW, Vic, but found mostly in northern parts of Australia; introduced This tick has a wide distribution throughout the world and is recorded from practically all countries between the latitudes 500 N and 350 S. The species has a small host range with the dog the main host. It is a vector for a wide range of infectious agents affecting dogs such as Haemobartonella canis, Hepatozoon canis, Babesia canis, Ehrlichia canis and E. platys. Of these Babesia canis at least, is found in Australia in the northern parts. Infection with Babesia canis may result in a symptomless carrier state or in disease ranging in severity from mild to severe and occasionally ending in death. 
Amblyomma triguttatum queenslandense ornate wallaby tick North Qld
Amblyomma triguttatum triguttatum ornate kangaroo tick Qld, northern NSW, southwestern WA
Aponomma aurunginans wombat tick Southeastern Australia, rare on dogs
Ornithodoros gurneyi inornate kangaroo tick Widely found all States except Vic and Tas The only "soft" tick commonly recorded on dog