Amblyomma, also known as the
Bont Ticks, are a genus of hard ticks. Some are disease vectors, such as of Rocky Mountain spotted fever in United States or ehrlichiosis in Brazil.
This genus is the third largest in the family Ixodidae, after
Ixodes and
Haemaphysalis, with its species primarily occupying the torrid zones of all the continents. The centre of species diversity is on the American continent, where half of all the species occur. On this continent,
Amblyomma species reach far beyond the torrid zone, up to the 40th parallel in the Northern Hemisphere, to the 50th parallel in the Southern Hemisphere, and even reaches the alpine zone of the Andes. They also occur in Eurasia, Africa and Australia.
Evolutionary history and systematics: Amblyomma is the largest genus in the Amblyocephalus lineage, and the only member of the Amblyomminae subfamily. Modelling suggests the most recent common ancestor (MRCA) of the Amblyocephalus originated approximately 48 million years ago, and the genus began to diversify approximately 37 ma. The
Amblyomma MRCA likely evolved in a region between South America and Antarctica, lending credence to an out-of-Antarctica hypothesis for the genus´ origin. A genetic divide in modern lineages between Australian
Amblyomma and
Amblyomma from the rest of the world supports the idea that the genus diverged in two directions out of Antarctica, with one lineage dispersing into Australian Gondwana, and another into South American Gondwana, at the end of the Eocene.
The genus has historically been large, and highly varied, morphologically, making circumscription criteria in accordance with genetic phylogenies difficult to define. Following the 2020 and 2024 excision of
Africaniella and
Cryptocroton species, respectively,
Amblyomma is now monophyletic. Many species complexes remain unresolved, however. Additionally, most
Amblyomma subgenera remain polyphyletic (
Cernyomma,
Anastosiella,
Haemalastor,
Xiphiastor,
Adenopleura,
Aponomma, and
Dermiomma), with only
Amblyomma (Amblyomma) and
Amblyomma (Walkeriana) being monophyletic
.
Amblyomma
species are medium to large, often ornamented ticks. They are subcircular to elliptical, with subpentagonal basis capituli and elongate mouthparts. Most species have eyes, except for those of the subgenus Amblyomma
(Aponomma).
Lateral grooves and festoons are usually distinct. Amblyomma
ticks parasitise a wide range of vertebrates, except for amphibians.
The internal anatomy of Amblyomma
species has been described in detail in a few species, including Amblyomma maculatum
and Amblyomma variegatum
.
Species: Amblyomma albolimbatum
Neumann, 1907Amblyomma albopictum
Neumann 1899Amblyomma americanum
Linnaeus, 1758 – lone star tickAmblyomma anicornuta
Apanaskevich & Apanaskevich, 2018Amblyomma antillorum
Kohls 1969Amblyomma arcanum
Karsch, 1879Amblyomma argentinae
Neumann, 1905Amblyomma astrion
Dönitz, 1909Amblyomma aureolatum
Pallas, 1772Amblyomma auricularium
Conil, 1878Amblyomma australiense
Neumann, 1905Amblyomma babirussae
Schulze, 1933Amblyomma beaurepairei
Vogelsang & Santos Dias 1953Amblyomma boeroi
Nava et al., 2009Amblyomma boulengeri
Hirst & Hirst, 1910Amblyomma brasiliense
Aragão, 1908Amblyomma breviscutatum
Neumann, 1899Amblyomma cajennense
Fabricius, 1787Amblyomma calabyi
Roberts, 1963Amblyomma calcaratum
Neumann, 1899Amblyomma chabaudi
Rageau, 1964Amblyomma clypeolatum
Neumann, 1899Amblyomma coelebs
Neumann, 1899Amblyomma cohaerens
Dönitz, 1909Amblyomma compressum
Macalister, 1872Amblyomma cordiferum
Neumann, 1899Amblyomma crassipes
Neumann, 1901Amblyomma crassum
Robinson, 1926Amblyomma crenatum
Neumann 1899Amblyomma cruciferum
Neumann, 1901Amblyomma darwini
Hirst & Hirst, 1910Amblyomma dissimile
Koch 1844Amblyomma dubitatum
Neumann 1899Amblyomma eburneum
Gerstäcker, 1873Amblyomma echidnae
Roberts 1953Amblyomma exornatum
Koch, 1844Amblyomma extraoculatum
Neumann 1899Amblyomma falsomarmoreum
Tonelli-Rondelli, 1935Amblyomma fimbriatum
Koch, 1844Amblyomma flavomaculatum
Lucas, 1846Amblyomma fulvum
Neumann, 1899Amblyomma fuscolineatum
Lucas, 1847Amblyomma fuscum
Neumann, 1907Amblyomma geayi
Neumann, 1899Amblyomma gemma
Dönitz, 1909Amblyomma geochelone
Durden, Keirans & Smith, 2002Amblyomma geoemydae
Cantor, 1847Amblyomma gervaisi
Lucas, 1847Amblyomma glauerti
Keirans, King & Sharrad, 1994Amblyomma goeldii
Neumann 1899Amblyomma hadanii
Nava et al., 2014Amblyomma hainanense
Teng, 1981Amblyomma hebraeum
Koch, 1844Amblyomma helvolum
Koch, 1844Amblyomma hirtum
Neumann, 1906Amblyomma humerale
Koch, 1844Amblyomma incisum
Neumann, 1906Amblyomma inopinatum
Santos Dias, 1989Amblyomma inornatum
Banks, 1909Amblyomma integrum
Karsch, 1879Amblyomma interandinum
Nava et al., 2014Amblyomma javanense
Supino, 1897Amblyomma kappa
Kwak, 2024Amblyomma komodoense
Oudemans, 1928Amblyomma kraneveldi
Anastos, 1956Amblyomma latepunctatum
Tonelli Rondelli, 1939Amblyomma latum
Koch, 1844Amblyomma lepidum
Dönitz, 1909Amblyomma limbatum
Neumann, 1899Amblyomma loculosum
Neumann, 1907Amblyomma longirostre
Koch, 1844Amblyomma macfarlandi
Keirans, Hoogstraal & Clifford, 1973Amblyomma macropi
Roberts, 1953Amblyomma maculatum
Koch, 1844Amblyomma marmoreum
Koch, 1844Amblyomma mixtum
Koch, 1844Amblyomma moreliae
Koch, 1867Amblyomma moyi
Roberts, 1953Amblyomma multipunctum
Neumann, 1899Amblyomma naponense
Packard, 1869Amblyomma neumanni
Ribaga 1902Amblyomma nitidum
Hirst & Hirst, 1910Amblyomma nodosum
Neumann, 1899Amblyomma nuttalli
Dönitz, 1909Amblyomma oblongoguttatum
Koch, 1844Amblyomma ovale
Koch, 1844Amblyomma pacae
Aragão, 1911Amblyomma parkeri
Fonseca & Aragao, 1952Amblyomma parvitarsum
Neumann, 1901Amblyomma parvum
Aragão, 1908Amblyomma patinoi
Nava, et al., 2014Amblyomma pattoni
Neumann, 1910Amblyomma paulopunctatum
Neumann 1899Amblyomma pecarium
Dunn, 1933Amblyomma personatum
Neumann, 1901Amblyomma pictum
Neumann, 1906Amblyomma pilosum
Neumann, 1899Amblyomma pomposum
Dönitz, 1909Amblyomma postoculatum
Neumann, 1899Amblyomma pseudoconcolor
Aragão, 1908Amblyomma pseudoparvum
Guglielmone, Mangold & Keirans, 1990Amblyomma quadricavum
Schulze, 1941Amblyomma rhinocerotis
de Geer, 1778Amblyomma robinsoni
Warburton 1927Amblyomma romarioi
Martins, Luz and Labruna, 2019Amblyomma romitii
Tonelli Rondelli, 1939Amblyomma rotundatum
Koch 1844Amblyomma sabanerae
Stoll, 1894Amblyomma scalpturatum
Neumann, 1906Amblyomma sculptum
Berlese, 1888Amblyomma scutatum
Neumann, 1899Amblyomma soembawense
Anastos, 1956Amblyomma sparsum
Neumann, 1899Amblyomma splendidum
Giebel, 1877Amblyomma squamosum
Kohls, 1953Amblyomma supinoi
Neumann, 1905Amblyomma sylvaticum
de Geer, 1778Amblyomma tapirellum
Dunn, 1933Amblyomma tenellum
Koch, 1844Amblyomma testudinarium
Koch, 1844Amblyomma tholloni
Neumann, 1899Amblyomma tigrinum
Koch 1844Amblyomma tonelliae
Nava et al., 2014Amblyomma torrei
Pérez Vigueras, 1934Amblyomma triguttatum
Koch 1844Amblyomma trimaculatum
Lucas, 1878Amblyomma triste
Koch 1844Amblyomma tuberculatum
Marx, 1894Amblyomma usingeri
Keirans, Hoogstraal & Clifford, 1973Amblyomma varanense
Supino, 1897Amblyomma variegatum
Fabricius 1798Amblyomma varium
Koch, 1844Amblyomma vikirri
Keirans, Bull & Duffield, 1996Amblyomma williamsi
Banks, 1924Amblyomma yucumense
Krawczak, Martins & Labruna, 2015
Fossil species: Amblyomma birmitum
Chitimia-Dobler et al., 2017 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian.†Amblyomma near testudinis´´
Lane & Poinar, 1986 Dominican amber, Dominican Republic, Miocene.