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Species profile

South African tortoise tick

Amblyomma marmoreum

Amblyomma marmoreum, male, adult — verified scientific reference image
Amblyomma marmoreum male. Original 1908 taxonomic illustration explicitly labels A. marmoreum male; Commons depicts statement matches

Image credit:Wilhelm Dönitz, 1908; source publication and Wikimedia Commons file page Licence termsSource

Image gallery

Amblyomma marmoreum, male, adult — verified scientific reference image
Amblyomma marmoreum male. Original 1908 taxonomic illustration explicitly labels A. marmoreum male; Commons depicts statement matches

Image credit:Wilhelm Dönitz, 1908; source publication and Wikimedia Commons file page Licence termsSource

Identification

Member of the A. marmoreum complex; expert morphological or molecular confirmation must distinguish related species.

Photographs and visible features may be insufficient for definitive identification.

Life cycle

Field cycle may complete in one or two years depending on nymphal feeding timing; laboratory host and climate conditions alter timings.

Laboratory comparisons used tortoises and guinea pigs at 25°C and 85% RH; results are not universal field measurements.

Life stages

  • Egg
  • Larva
  • Nymph
  • Adult

Seasonal activity

Larvae active in late summer/autumn; nymphs near tortoise home areas active in early spring; adults active in summer in the Eastern Cape study.

Distribution

Eastern Cape ecological field evidence; it must not be generalized to the entire species range.

Presence, established populations, habitat suitability and disease risk are distinct evidence categories.

Important identification and health information

Educational information and limitations

Photographs and visible features may be insufficient for definitive identification.

Presence, established populations, habitat suitability and disease risk are distinct evidence categories.

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