Human perception and awareness of ticks in a South Australian rural community and implications for management of Amblyomma triguttatum triguttatum

Investigation of ticks and red blood cell parasites of a population of reintroduced mainland tammar wallabies (Notamacropus eugenii eugenii)

Ticks and blood smears were collected from a reintroduced population of threatened tammar wallabies (Notamacropus eugenii eugenii). Ixodes hirsti was common during autumn/winter, and Amblyomma spp. in spring/summer, reflecting the seasonal density of questing A. triguttatum triguttatum. Red blood cell parasites were not detected in the 90 smears analysed.

Responses to a survey question on the distribution of western pygmy-possums (Cercartetus concinnus) on Yorke Peninsula, South Australia

The western pygmy-possum (Cercartetus concinnus) is probably the last remaining small native ground-dwelling mammal on Yorke Peninsula. We surveyed 1013 Yorke Peninsula residents about the distribution of pygmy-possums on the peninsula. Thirteen of 296 respondents had seen pygmy-possums, none north of Minlaton. Two additional possum species had also been seen.

Coendangered hard-ticks: threatened or threatening?

The overwhelming majority of animal conservation projects are focused on vertebrates, despite most of the species on Earth being invertebrates. Estimates state that about half of all named species of invertebrates are parasitic in at least one stage of their development. The dilemma of viewing parasites as biodiversity or pest has been discussed by several authors. However, ticks were omitted. The latest taxonomic synopses of non-fossil Ixodidae consider valid 700 species. Though, how many of them are still extant is almost impossible to tell, as many of them are known only from type specimens in museums and were never collected since their original description. Moreover, many hosts are endangered and as part of conservation efforts of threatened vertebrates, a common practice is the removal of, and treatment for external parasites, with devastating impact on tick populations. There are several known cases when the host became extinct with subsequent coextinction of their ectoparasites. For our synoptic approach we have used the IUCN status of the host in order to evaluate the status of specifically associated hard-ticks. As a result, we propose a number of 63 coendangered and one extinct hard-tick species. On the other side of the coin, the most important issue regarding tick-host associations is vectorial transmission of microbial pathogens (i.e. viruses, bacteria, protozoans). Tick-borne diseases of threatened vertebrates are sometimes fatal to their hosts. Mortality associated with pathogens acquired from ticks has been documented in several cases, mostly after translocations. Are ticks a real threat to their coendangered host and should they be eliminated? Up to date, there are no reliable proofs that ticks listed by us as coendangered are competent vectors for pathogens of endangered animals.