Australpavlovskyella

Australpavlovskyella
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Chelicerata
Class:	Arachnida
Order:	Ixodida
Family:	Argasidae
Genus:	Australpavlovskyella Barker et al., 2025
Species:	A. gurneyi
Binomial name
Australpavlovskyella gurneyi (Warburton, 1926) [1]
Synonyms
Ornithodoros gurneyi Warburton, 1926

Australpavlovskyella, is a genus of argasid soft tick belonging to the family Argasidae. The genus is monotypic containing a single species Australpavlovskyella gurneyi, the kangaroo soft tick. ^[2] It is parasite found in arid regions of Australia, which may feed on red kangaroos, lizards and even people.

Taxonomy

The species was originally described by Cecil Warburton as Ornithodoros gurneyiWarburton, 1926 in the journal Parasitology . ^[1]

Behaviour

Australpavlovskyella gurneyi is mostly known as a parasite of the red kangaroo ( Osphranter rufus ) and wallabies. The life cycle includes three to five instar stages before progressing to an adult. When not attached to a host, it resides in the soil of caves and the wallows made by kangaroos beneath shady trees. An investigation of its anecdotal reputation for biting humans reported one verified instance along with other records. ^[3] In addition to mammal species, O. gurneyi is known to occur on the reptilian species Pogona barbata (a bearded dragon) and Tiliqua rugosa (shingleback or bobtail lizard). A study of bobtail lizards in captivity found the animal was a suitable host for this species, surviving and moulting, and may have a role in their dispersal to new sites. ^[4]

References

1. Warburton, Cecil (January 1926). "On Three New Species of Ticks (Arachnida, Ixodoidea), Ornithodorus gurneyi, Ixodes arvicolae and Haemaphysalis mjöbergi". Parasitology. 18 (1): 55–58. doi:10.1017/S0031182000004972. ISSN   1469-8161.
2. "Ornithodoros gurneyi Warburton, 1926". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
3. Norval, Gerrut; Sharrad, Robert D.; Ross, Kirstin E.; Gardner, Michael G. (March 2021). "An instance of parasitism on a human by a nymph of the kangaroo soft tick, Ornithodoros gurneyi Warburton, 1926 (Acari: Argasidae) in South Australia" . Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. 12 (2) 101632. doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101632. ISSN   1877-959X.
4. Norval, Gerrut; Sharrad, Robert D.; Gardner, Michael G. (1 January 2022). "A mammal tick with a taste for lizard blood: Parasitism by the kangaroo soft tick, (Ornithodoros gurneyi) on sleepy lizards (Tiliqua rugosa)". Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. 13 (1) 101859. doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2021.101859. ISSN   1877-959X.