Amblyomma varium
, commonly known in Brazil as the "carrapato-gigante-da-preguiça"
(sloth's giant tick) is found from southern Central America to Argentina.
The present study adds information on the geographical distribution of
A. varium,
as well as on their hosts, based on material deposited in the main Brazilian collections
and on the available literature. Eighty-two vials, containing 191 adult specimens,
deposited in five Acari collections between 1930 and 2001, were examined. These
vials included data on the host and collection localities. The biology of
A.
varium is unknown. However it is known that, during the adult stage, the tick
presents a high host specificity and is found almost exclusively on the sloths
Bradypus tridactylus
,
B. variegatus,
B. torquatus
(Bradypodidae),
Choloepus hoffmanni
and
C. didactylus
(Megalonychidae). Based on the material examined, the states of Rondônia,
Amazonas, Bahia and Alagoas are newly assigned to geographic distribution of
A.
varium in Brazil.
