East Asian turtle tick

Amblyomma kappa is a junior synonym and must not have a duplicate species page.

The species is associated principally with turtles.

All active life stages have been described in modern research.

Confirmed records include Japan and Taiwan; the 2024 study also discusses a subtropical lineage extending into parts of China.

A medium-sized ornate Amblyomma turtle tick. Reliable separation from the closely related Oriental turtle tick, Amblyomma geoemydae, requires examination of multiple morphological characters and may require expert confirmation.

The modern treatment reported an unengorged female length of approximately 4 mm and used scutal proportions and other morphological characters to distinguish the species from Amblyomma geoemydae. Measurements vary with life stage and feeding state and are not sufficient alone.

Compared with Amblyomma geoemydae, the published diagnosis reports a smaller unengorged female and a scutum that is nearly as long as wide. Identification should use the complete differential diagnosis, not a single visible character.

Photographs, host and location alone may be insufficient for species confirmation. Amblyomma kappa is the same taxon under current synonymy and must not be treated as a second species.

Adult females and males differ in the extent of the dorsal shield, as in other hard ticks. The modern species treatment describes every active life stage; stage and sex should be recorded when specimens are examined.

Larva, nymph, adult male and adult female are documented. As a hard tick, feeding and development occur through successive active stages, but species-specific timing should not be inferred without supporting evidence.

No seasonality statement has been accepted for this record.

Confirmed from Japan and Taiwan. Research published under the junior synonym Amblyomma kappa also treats material from the subtropical East Asian lineage, including parts of China. Presence records must not be presented as uniform establishment or disease risk.

The accepted sources do not establish this species as a confirmed human disease vector. Absence of confirmed vector evidence must not be interpreted as proof of no possible pathogen carriage.

Primarily relevant to reptiles, especially turtles. It may matter to wildlife health, conservation, zoological collections and veterinary examination of infested reptiles.

No confirmed vector association is asserted from the accepted sources. Detection, carriage and demonstrated transmission are separate evidence categories.

No confirmed human-biting or human-vector importance is asserted from the accepted sources.

A reptile-associated tick of particular relevance to turtles in wildlife, conservation and captive-care settings.

For captive reptiles, use veterinary-led quarantine, careful inspection and appropriate enclosure hygiene. Do not apply unapproved acaricides to reptiles.

Attached ticks on reptiles should be assessed and removed using veterinary guidance, particularly where the animal is small, unwell, heavily infested or conservation-sensitive.