46. Amblyomma gemma Dönitz, 1909 .

An Afrotropical species whose adults are usually found on Artiodactyla: Bovidae, but all parasitic stages have been recovered from these hosts. Adults and nymphs have been collected from Artiodactyla: Camelidae and Suidae, and Perissodactyla: Equidae; adults alone have been recovered from Mammalia (several orders), Struthioniformes: Struthionidae, and Testudines: Testudinidae; and immature stages have been collected from Lagomorpha: Leporidae, Rodentia: Sciuridae, and Aves (several orders). Amblyomma gemma is a very rare parasite of humans.

M: Dönitz (1909)

F: Dönitz (1909)

N: Theiler et al. (1956)

L: Theiler et al. (1956)

Redescriptions

M: Robinson (1926), Theiler et al. (1956), Tendeiro (1959b), Matthysse and Colbo (1987), Walker, A.R. et al. (2003), Voltzit and Keirans (2003)

F: Robinson (1926), Theiler et al. (1956), Tendeiro (1959b), Matthysse and Colbo (1987), Walker, A.R. et al. (2003), Voltzit and Keirans (2003)

N: Borght-Elbl (1977), Voltzit and Keirans (2003); see note below

L: Borght-Elbl (1977), Voltzit and Keirans (2003)

Note: see Amblyomma eburneum for a discussion of difficulties concerning that species’ diagnosis and its confusion with Amblyomma gemma . Voltzit and Keirans (2003) state that the hypostomal dental formula of the Amblyomma gemma nymph is 2/2, but the corresponding figure shows 3/3 dentition.