Amblyomma maculatum (Gulf Coast tick) is a species of tick in the genus Amblyomma. Immatures usually infest small mammals and birds that dwell on the ground; cotton rats may be particularly favored hosts.Clark et al., 2001, pp. 1383–1384 Some recorded hosts include: Geothlypis trichas Cardinalis cardinalisWilson and Durden, 2003, table 1 Passerina ciris Sialia sialis Thryothorus ludovicianus Troglodytes aedon Zonotrichia albicollis Dog (Canis lupus familiaris) Dama damaWilson and Durden, 2003, table 5 Human (Homo sapiens)Wilson and Durden, 2003, table 2 Eastern woodrat (Neotoma floridana)Clark et al., 2001, table III Odocoileus virginianus Marsh rice rat (Oryzomys palustris)Clark et al., 2001, p. 1381 Cotton mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus)Clark et al., 2001, table II Hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus)Clark et al., 2001, table IV Pig (Sus scrofa) Sylvilagus palustrisWilson and Durden, 2003, table 4
In 2013, the infectious agent of American tick bite fever, Rickettsia parkeri was detected in a female A. maculatum collected at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge, near Smyrna, Delaware, providing the first evidence of association of this pathogen of humans with this species of tick in the state.David A. Florin, Ju Jiang, Richard G. Robbins & Allen L. Richards. 2013. Infection of the Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma maculatum (Acari: Ixodidae), with Rickettsia parkeri: first report from the State of Delaware. Systematic & Applied Acarology 18(1): 27–29; http://www.acarology.org/saas/saa/saa18/2013-18-027-029f.pdf.
See also List of parasites of the marsh rice rat List of parasites of humans
References
Literature cited Clark, K.L., Oliver, J.H., Jr., Grego, J.M., James, A.M., Durden, L.A. and Banks, C.W. 2001. Host associations of ticks parasitizing rodents at Borrelia burgdorferi enzootic sites in South Carolina. Journal of Parasitology 87(6):1379–1386. Wilson, N. and Durden, L.A. 2003. Ectoparasites of terrestrial vertebrates inhabiting the Georgia Barrier Islands, USA: an inventory and preliminary biogeographical analysis (subscription required). Journal of Biogeography 30(8):1207–1220.