A species of tick never before seen in Japan is attacking beetles and passing along a deadly bacteria, according to this article from The Japan Times Online. In America, this probably wouldn't be big news, but it is grabbing national headlines in Japan, where beetles are popular pets. Scientists suspect that the tick is not native, and was likely imported along with beetles collected from Africa or elsewhere in Asia. The concern that the tick will spread to native beetles is leading to calls for tighter restrictions on the import of non-native species.
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