![]() ![]() He remarked on "the small insect called the tick, which buries itself in the flesh, and would in the end destroy either man or beast if not removed in time". ![]() One of the earliest Australian references to ticks as a problem in human disease is found in the journal kept by Captain William Hovell during his 1824–1825 journey with Hamilton Hume from Lake George to Port Phillip. Without careful inspection, the presence of the tiny larval ticks may be missed until they engorge to an appreciable size. The term scrub itch tick is used in Queensland to describe the larvae of Ixodes holocyclus, which often infest humans and animals in huge numbers, causing a rash. The term shower tick presumably refers to how humans can become seemingly showered by hundreds of larvae at a time this is because they have hatched from a single cluster of eggs (thousands) which have not yet been distributed by the first of three hosts. The term seed tick usually is used to refer to the smallest stage of Ixodes holocyclus. The term grass tick is usually used to refer to the smaller stages of Ixodes holocyclus, but the term delivers little useful information because any tick can be found in the grass. Shell-back tick describes the tortoise-shell appearance of the large shield ( scutum more specifically, conscutum) that covers the entire dorsum of the adult male. It also sounds like another venomous animal, the marine stinger of the same name, the 'blue bottle' or Portuguese Man o' War. The addition of 'blue' probably refers to a bluish hue associated with the mid-sized engorged female. This expression perhaps emphasises that Ixodes holocyclus is indeed a 'hard tick' and that it is also the most common tick encountered by humans and animals in the Sydney region.īottle tick describes that the engorging tick becomes swollen with fluid (the host's blood). Wattle tick was used by pioneers in the Illawarra region of NSW to describe the tick causing paralysis, especially in sheep.Ĭommon hardback tick was used in The Northern Herald, Sydney (August 1996). In New South Wales, dog tick is more correctly used for Rhipicephalus sanguineus (the brown dog tick). Throughout Australia, bush tick is also used for Haemaphysalis longicornis. In Queensland, scrub tick is also used for Haemaphysalis longicornis. There are other ticks around the world also causing paralysis. The preferred common name for Ixodes holocyclus. Used (and misused) common names for Ixodes holocyclus Many of these common names, such as dog tick or bush tick, are best not used for Ixodes holocyclus because they are also used for some of the other ticks found in Australia. The following table gives some of the other names used to describe various stages of Ixodes holocyclus. The most generally accepted name is Australian paralysis tick or simply paralysis tick. The use of common names has led to many colloquial expressions for Ixodes holocyclus. The natural hosts for the paralysis tick include koalas, bandicoots, possums and kangaroos. Paralysis ticks are found in many types of habitat, particularly areas of high rainfall such as wet sclerophyll forest and temperate rainforest. Because the same area includes Australia's most densely populated regions, bites on people, pets and livestock are relatively common. Within that range, Ixodes holocyclus is the tick most frequently encountered by humans and their pets. It is usually found in a 20-kilometre wide band following the eastern coastline of Australia. ![]() It can cause paralysis by injecting neurotoxins into its host. ![]() Ixodes holocyclus, commonly known as the Australian paralysis tick, is one of about 75 species in the Australian tick fauna and is considered the most medically important. ![]()
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