Tick paralysis of a snake caused by Amblyomma rotundatum (Acari: Ixodidae).

A lethargic southern black racer, Coluber constrictor priapus Dunn and Wood, wild-caught in the Florida Keys, Monroe County, FL, was found to be paralyzed by the bite of a female ixodid tick, Amblyomma rotundatum Koch (Acari: Ixodidae). Removal of the tick restored the snake to normalcy within 18 h. Other, earlier reported cases of tick toxicosis in reptiles are reviewed and clarified. Evidently, the present incident is the only reported case of tick paralysis in a poikilotherm found in a natural setting.