Australian Paralysis Tick
Ixodes holocyclus
The adult Australian paralysis tick inhabits humid coastal and hinterland areas of eastern Australia, especially places with dense vegetation and wildlife hosts. It waits on foliage for a passing host, then anchors its barbed mouthparts and feeds slowly on blood. Adult females are notorious for saliva containing neurotoxins that can cause tick paralysis in pets, livestock, wildlife, and occasionally people. After engorging, a female drops from the host to lay eggs in sheltered ground litter.
- Type
- Venom / Stealth
- Conservation status
- NE
Growth chain
- ?
- ?
- Australian Paralysis Tick