Amblyomma squamosum Kohls, 1953

Velde, Nancy Vander Velde And Brian Vander & O., P., 2013, Known and potential ticks and tick-borne pathogens of Micronesia, Micronesica 2013 (1), pp. 1-26 : 4

Amblyomma squamosum Kohls, 1953

When Kohls described the monitor lizard tick, Amblyomma squamosum , he considered it to be an endemic species found only on Guam and only on the mangrove monitor lizard ( Varanus indicus ) ( Kohls 1953). No information beyond the original description and repetition thereof was found ( Durden & Keirans 1996). Other lizards on Guam have suffered terrible decimation in recent years ( United States Geological Survey 2005). If Amblyomma squamosum was actuality a parasite of more lizards than just the monitor, including one or more of the native and/or endemic lizards which early in the environmental upheaval of the last century were extirpated, this could possibly explain the lack of information about this tick (pers. comm. R. Robbins). Or it may be that it has escaped notice. Herpatologist Ronald Crombie (pers. comm.) observed ticks on monitor lizards and skinks of Guam and other Mariana Islands, as well as the Caroline Islands of Yap and Palau, but no identification was made of these parasites to know if these were the endemic Amblyomma squamosum or some other wider ranging monitor lizard tick or ticks.