Ticks (Amblyomma Gervaisi and A

WWW.IRCF.ORG TABLE OF CONTENTS IRCF REPTILES &IRCF AMPHIBIANS REPTILES • VOL &15, AMPHIBIANS NO 4 • DEC 2008 • 189 27(2):218–219 • AUG 2020

IRCF REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS CONSERVATION AND NATURAL HISTORY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FEATURE ARTICLES Ticks. Chasing ( BullsnakesAmblyomma (Pituophis catenifer sayi) in Wisconsin: gervaisi and A. pattoni) On the Road to Understanding the Ecology and Conservation of the Midwest’s Giant Serpent ...... Joshua M. Kapfer 190 . The Shared Historyon of Treeboas Indian (Corallus grenadensis) and HumansRock on Grenada: Pythons, A Hypothetical Excursion ...... Robert W. Henderson 198 RESEARCHPython ARTICLES molurus (Linnaeus 1758), . The Texas Horned Lizard in Central and Western Texas ...... Emily Henry, Jason Brewer, Krista Mougey, and Gad Perry 204 . The Knight Anole (Anolis equestris) in Florida ...... from HimachalBrian J. Camposano, Kenneth L. Krysko, Pradesh, Kevin M. Enge, Ellen M. Donlan, and India Michael Granatosky 212

CONSERVATION ALERT Gaurav Barhadiya . World’s Mammals in Crisis ...... 220 Department. More Than of EnvironmentalMammals ...... Studies, University of Delhi, New Delhi, Delhi–110007, India...... ([email protected]) 223 . The “Dow Jones Index” of Biodiversity ...... 225

HUSBANDRY . Captive Care of the Central Netted Dragon ...... Shannon Plummer 226 eptiles are hosts to a number of parasitic organisms The three Indian Rock Pythons were infested with a total ranging fromPROFILE protozoans to arthropods (Frye 1991). of 23 ticks (Table 1) identified as Amblyomma gervaisi (n = R . Among these, ticks areKraig the Adler: most A Lifetime common Promoting Herpetologyarthropod ...... group 18) and A. pattoni (n = Michael5). Most L. Treglia were 234 near the mouth and that parasitizes reptilesCOMMENTARY (Kilingenberg 1993). Ticks are dis- cloacal aperture of the snakes. tributed worldwide and. The primarily Turtles Have Been found Watching in Mewarm ...... and humid Ticks in the genus Amblyomma Eric Gangloff 238 have been previously climatic conditionsBOOK (Auffenberg REVIEW and Auffenberg 1990). Ticks recorded in southern Asia from wild and captive snakes, are a well-known cause. Threatened of dermatological Amphibians of the problems World edited inby S.N.reptiles Stuart, M. Hoffmann,including J.S. Chanson,Oriental N.A. Ratsnakes Cox, (Ptyas mucosa), Indian Cobras and the diseases spread byR. Berridge,ticks areP. Ramani, a major and B.E. constraint Young ...... to ani- (Naja naja), King Cobras Robert (Ophiophagus Powell 243 hannah), Indian mal productivity while CONSERVATION causing morbidity RESEARCH and REPORTS: mortality Summaries in of PublishedRock Conservation Pythons Research (Python Reports ...... molurus), and 245 Reticulated Pythons animals (Ghosh and NATURALNagar 2014). HISTORY Many RESEARCH ticks REPORTS in the :genus Summaries of Published Reports on Natural History ...... 247 Amblyomma (previously NEWBRIEFS Aponomma ...... ) are specific to snakes and ...... 248  EDITORIAL INFORMATION ...... Table 1. Number of ticks (Amblyomma...... 251 gervaisi and Amblyomma lizards (Hoogstraal andFOCUS Aeschlimann ON CONSERVATION 1982),: withA Project 37 You of Can 102 Support ...... pattoni) recorded from three Indian Rock 252 Pythons (Python molurus) species exclusively parasitizing reptiles (Buczek et al. 2006). from Karsog, Himachal Pradesh, India. On 5 April 2017, three confiscated Indian Rock Pythons (Python molurus) from Karsog, Himachal Pradesh, India Length Weight A. gervaisi A. pattoni (31°23'00.3"N, 77°12'16.6"E) (Fig.Front 1), Cover. were Shannon screened Plummer. for Sex Back Cover.(m) Michael Kern (kg) (n) (n) ectoparasites. All visible ticks were collectedTotat et velleseque using sterilizedaudant mo for- Totat et velleseque audant mo estibus inveliquo velique rerchil Maleestibus inveliquo2.00 velique rerchil 3.94 5 2 ceps, transferred to vials containing 70%erspienimus, alcohol, quos andaccullabo. identified Ilibus erspienimus, quos accullabo. Ilibus Male 2.27 5.30 8 3 using the key in Sen and Fletcher (1962).aut dolor After apicto inverethe removal pe dolum of aut dolor apicto invere pe dolum fugiatis maionsequat eumque Femalefugiatis maionsequat2.22 eumque 5.90 5 0 ticks, the rescued pythons were releasedmoditia into erere natural nonsedis mahabitat. sectiatur moditia erere nonsedis ma sectia- ma derrovitae voluptam, as quos tur ma derrovitae voluptam, as accullabo.

Fig. 1. Three confiscated Indian Rock Pythons (Python molurus) from Karsog, Himachal Pradesh, India (left). A tick (Amblyomma pattoni) adjacent to the cloacal aperture of an Indian Rock Python (right). Photographs by the author.

(Malayopython reticulatus) (e.g., Rajesh et al. 2015; Pandit et Buczek, A., K. Bartosik, T. Olszewski, K. Ste˛ pien´, T. Kubrak, and M. Sałata. 2006. Host specificity of ticks (Acari: Ixodida), pp. 37–54. In: A. Buczek al. 2011). However, to the best of my knowledge, this is the and C. Błaszak (eds.), Arthropods: Epidemiological Importance. Koliber, Lublin, first report of ticks in the genus Amblyomma infecting snakes Poland. in the state of Himachal Pradesh. Frye, F.L. 1991. Applied clinical nonhemic parasitology of reptiles, pp. 281– 325. In: F.L. Frye (ed.), Biomedical and Surgical Aspects of Captive Reptile Husbandry. Krieger Publishing Co., Malabar, Florida. Acknowledgements Ghosh, S. and G. Nagar. 2014. Problem of ticks and tick-borne diseases in India I thank Jose Louies, Deputy Director & Chief, Wildlife with special emphasis on progress in tick control research: A review. Journal Crime Control Division, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), for of Vector Borne Diseases 51: 259–270. Hoogstraal, H. and A. Aeschlimann. 1982. Tick-host specificity. Bulletin de la giving me an opportunity to assist with rescue operations of Société Entomologique Suisse 55: 5–32. the Wildlife Crime Control Division (WCCB), Ministry of Klingenberg, R.J. 1993. Understanding Reptile Parasites. The Herpetocultural Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of Library Series. BowTie Press, Irvine, California. India. I also thank WCCB and the Himachal Pradesh Forest Pandit, P., R. Bandivdekar, G. Geevarghese, S. Pande, and O. Mandke. 2011. Tick infestation on wild snakes in northern part of Western Ghats of India. Journal Department for support and encouragement. of Medical Entomology 48: 504–507. Rajesh, N.V., K.D. Rajesh, M.G. Jayathangaraj, M. Raman, and R. Sridhar. 2015. Literature Cited Parasitic fauna of captive snakes in Tamilnadu, India. Asian Pacific Journal of Auffenberg, W. and T. Auffenberg. 1990. The reptile tick Aponomma gervaisi Tropical Disease 5: 930–934. (Acarina Ixodidae) as a parasite of monitor lizards in Pakistan and India. Sen, S.K. and T.B. Fletcher. 1962. Veterinary Entomology and Acarology for India. Bulletin of the Florida Museum of Natural History 35: 1–34. Indian Council of Agriculture Research, New Delhi, India.

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