Southern paralysis tick / Tasmanian paralysis tick

An Australian paralysis tick occurring particularly in Tasmania and Victoria, where it can infest people and companion animals.

Can cause clinically important tick paralysis in companion animals. Veterinary assessment is required when weakness or paralysis is suspected.

Recorded in Tasmania and southeastern mainland Australia, especially Victoria. Presence and encounter frequency vary locally.

Species-level confirmation should use authoritative morphological keys and, where necessary, expert or molecular examination. Photographs, host and location alone may be insufficient.

Identification requires the complete combination of family, genus and species-level morphological characters.

Use authoritative comparative keys; do not rely on colour, size, host or geography as a single diagnostic feature.

Photographs alone cannot always confirm this species.

Adult males and females differ in dorsal shield coverage, body proportions and feeding-related expansion; confirm stage and sex with an appropriate species key.

Egg, larva, nymph and adult stages are present; host-use pattern is species-specific.

Seasonal activity varies geographically and should be interpreted from local surveillance.

Recorded in Tasmania and southeastern mainland Australia, especially Victoria. Presence and encounter frequency vary locally.

Human bites and paralysis are documented, but species confirmation can be difficult because it resembles other Australian Ixodes ticks.

Can cause clinically important tick paralysis in companion animals. Veterinary assessment is required when weakness or paralysis is suspected.

Human bites and paralysis are documented, but species confirmation can be difficult because it resembles other Australian Ixodes ticks.

Human-health relevance is stated only where governed evidence supports human biting or transmission; otherwise no human-vector claim is made.

Companion animals exposed in southeastern Australia should be checked promptly, and progressive weakness, altered breathing or paralysis warrants urgent veterinary care.

Use habitat-appropriate tick avoidance, animal inspection and veterinary-led control.

Remove attached ticks promptly using evidence-based guidance and seek medical or veterinary advice when indicated.