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The aim of the study was to determine the species spectrum of ixodid ticks that infest horses and donkeys in South Africa and to identify those species that act as vectors of disease to domestic livestock. Ticks were collected opportunistically from 391 horses countrywide by their owners or grooms, or by veterinary students and staff at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria. Ticks were also collected from 76 donkeys in Limpopo Province, 2 in Gauteng Province and 1 in North West province. All the ticks were identified by means of a stereoscopic microscope. Horses were infested with 17 tick species, 72.1% with Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, 19.4% with Amblyomma hebraeum and 15.6% with Rhipicephalus decoloratus. Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi was recovered from horses in all nine provinces of South Africa and R. decoloratus in eight provinces. Donkeys were infested with eight tick species, and 81.6% were infested with R. evertsi evertsi, 23.7% with A. hebraeum and 10.5% with R. decoloratus. Several tick species collected from the horses and donkeys are the vectors of economically important diseases of livestock. Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi is the vector of Theileria equi, the causative organism of equine piroplasmosis. It also transmits Anaplasma marginale, the causative organism of anaplasmosis in cattle. Amblyomma hebraeum is the vector of Ehrlichia ruminantium, the causative organism of heartwater in cattle, sheep and goats, whereas R. decoloratus transmits Babesia bigemina, the causative organism of babesiosis in cattle.

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica;">A total of 586 reptiles, belonging to 35 species and five subspecies, were examined in surveys aimed at determining the species spectrum and geographic distribution of ticks that infest them. Of these reptiles 509 were tortoises, 28 monitor or other lizards, and 49 snakes. Nine ixodid tick species, of which seven belonged to the genus <em>Amblyomma</em>, and one argasid tick, <em>Ornithodoros compactus</em> were recovered. Seven of the ten tick species are parasites of reptiles. Amongst these seven species <em>Amblyomma marmoreum</em> was most prevalent and numerous on leopard tortoises, <em>Geochelone pardalis</em>; <em>Amblyomma nuttalli</em> was present only on Bell's hinged tortoises, <em>Kinixys belliana</em>; and most <em>Amblyomma sylvaticum</em> were collected from angulate tortoises, <em>Chersina angulata. Amblyomma exornatum</em> (formerly <em>Aponomma exornatum</em>) was only recovered from monitor lizards, <em>Varanus spp.</em>; most <em>Amblyomma latum</em> (formerly <em>Aponomma latum</em>) were from snakes; and a single nymph of <em>Amblyomma transversale</em> (formerly <em>Aponomma transversale</em>) was collected from a southern African python, <em>Python natalensis</em>. All 30 Namaqualand speckled padloper tortoises, <em>Homopus signatus signatus</em>, examined were infested with <em>O. compactus</em>. <br />The seasonal occurrence of <em>A. sylvaticum</em> and the geographic distribution of this tick and of <em>A. marmoreum, A. nuttalli, A. exornatum, A. latum</em> and <em>O. compactus</em> are illustrated.</span>