Abstract:
Ixodid ticks were collected from scrub hares (Lepus saxatilis) at three localities. Nine tick species were
recovered from 24 hares examined at Pafuri, Kruger National Park, Northern Transvaal. The most abundant
and prevalent species were Hyalomma truncatum, Rhipicephalus kochi and a Rhipicephalus species
(near R. pravus). Twelve tick species were collected from 120 scrub hares examined around Skukuza,
Kruger National Park, Eastern Transvaal. The immature stages of Hyalomma truncatum were most
abundant and those of Amblyomma hebraeum most prevalent on the hares. No haematozoa were found
on blood smears made from these hares.
Thirty-four scrub hares on mixed cattle and game farms near Hluhluwe, north-eastern KwaZulu-Natal
harboured 12 tick species. The most abundant and prevalent of these were the immature stages of
Rhipicephalus muehlensi. Piroplasms, tentatively identified as Babesia leporis, were present on blood
smears of eight of these hares.
The host status of scrub hares for 18 ixodid tick species or subspecies found in South Africa is tabulated.
