Multiple engorged tick nymphs (n= 6) were collected from an injured spotted wood owl (Strix seloputo) in Kelantan, Peninsular Malaysia. Morphological identification of the nymphs revealed that the ticks were Haemaphysalis wellingtoni, based on several distinctive features: (1) internal edge of palpal article III extending far beyond the internal edge of palpal article II; and (2) four feathery and closespaced infrainternal setae. Subsequent molecular analysis of a randomly selected nymph targeting the mitochondrial 16S gene corroborated with the species identity of the tick. To date, this is first report of the infestation of H. wellingtoni on S. seloputo. Future studies are needed to determine whether native or endemic birds may serve as disseminators of ticks and tick-borne diseases.

Ticks are obligate hematophagous arachnids that parasitize both humans and animals. While considerable research in Malaysia has focused on bacterial detection in ticks, knowledge of tick-borne Anaplasma, Ehrlichia and Brucella in farm ruminants remains limited. In this study, 1,241 ticks comprising of four species (Rhipicephalus microplus, Rhipicephalus haemaphysaloides, Haemaphysalis bispinosa, and Haemaphysalis wellingtoni) were collected from 674 farm ruminants across Peninsular Malaysia. The ticks were pooled and molecularly screened for Anaplasma and Ehrlichia using 16S rRNA gene primers, and Brucella using the BSCP31 gene primer. Out of 130 tick pools, five (3.85%) tested positive for Anaplasma and two (1.54%) for Ehrlichia. No Brucella DNA was detected in all four tick species. All positive pools consisted exclusively of R. microplus, with no pathogens identified in the other three tick species. BLAST analysis revealed that the Anaplasma sequences were identical to Anaplasma marginale, A. platys, and Candidatus “Anaplasma boleense”, while the Ehrlichia sequences were identical to Ehrlichia ewingii. This study represents the first screening for Anaplasma, Ehrlichia, and Brucella in ticks infesting farm ruminants in Peninsular Malaysia.

We report two new records of chewing lice from avian pets in Peninsular Malaysia: Colpocephalum apivorus Tendeiro, 1958 from an Oriental honey buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus (Temminck, 1821)), and Myrsidea splendenticola Klockenhoff, 1973 from an albino house crow (Corvus splendens Vieillot, 1817). The scarcity of louse records from avian pets and wild birds, and the lack of louse research in Malaysia are discussed.