Risk of predation for two reptile tick species

Experiments were conducted in the Mount Mary region of South Australia where the distributions of the two reptile-tick species Aponomma hydrosauri and Amblyomma limbatum narrowly overlap. Engorged larvae and nymphs were placed in boxes with and without access to predators and left for 1 week. At two out of five sites there was greater loss from open access boxes in replicates during warmer periods of the year. Predation by ants appears to be the most likely explanation for the loss of ticks.