Golezardy, HabibOosthuizen, Marinda C.Penzhorn, Barend Louis2017-05-042016-07Golezardy, H, Oosthuizen, MC & Penzhorn, BL 2016, 'Diversity of ticks (Acari : Ixodidae) infesting cheetahs (Acinoyx jubatus) at three breeding centres in South Africa and activity patterns of questing ticks', Ticks and Tick-Borne Diseases, vol. 7, no. 5, pp. 788-797.1877-959X ( print)1877-9603 (online)10.1016/j.ttbdis.2016.03.013http://hdl.handle.net/2263/60242Ticks were collected from 191 cheetahs at three breeding centres in North West and Limpopo Provinces, South Africa. Haemaphysalis elliptica, a common tick of large felids, was the most abundant species collected, while Amblyomma hebraeum and Rhipicephalus simus occurred in lower numbers. In addition to these three species, drag-sampling of the vegetation revealed the presence of Amblyomma marmoreum, Rhipicephalus (B.) decoloratus and Rhipicephalus zambeziensis. The presence of free-ranging antelopes, murid rodents and tortoises at the breeding centres probably contributed to the availability of immature tick stages on the vegetation. Diurnal and seasonal questing patterns of ixodid ticks were investigated at monthly intervals at the largest cheetah-breeding centre. Questing ticks were most abundant on the vegetation during the warm summer months. Most questing H. elliptica larvae and nymphs were collected from the vegetation in the early morning and late afternoon and fewest during the middle of the day.en© 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved. Notice : this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. A definitive version was subsequently published in Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, vol. 7, no. 5, pp. 788-797, 2016. doi : 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2016.03.013.Haemaphysalis ellipticaRhipicephalus simusAmblyomma hebraeumQuesting ticksSouth Africa (SA)Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)Postprint Article