Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) of three Timor-Leste reptiles: first country record of Amblyomma helvolum, with new interactions and an updated list of host species
We report on the presence of the ixodid tick Amblyomma helvolum on three species of reptiles from Timor-Leste. Among a total of 21 host specimens (lizards: 18 four-fingered skinks, Carlia sp. ‘Meleotegi’ and two forest skinks, Sphenomorphus sp. ‘Meleotegi’; snake: one Coelognathus subradiatus) four were parasitized by ticks. Whereas nymphs were associated with the lizards, an adult male was retrieved from the snake. This report is the first of A. helvolum for Timor-Leste, the first for the skink genera Carlia and Sphenomorphus, and the first for C. subradiatus. We present a comprehensive table with updated taxonomy of known associations between A. helvolum and other vertebrates.