RESUMO
Abstract Although a group of soft ticks (Argasidae) associated with amphibians was recently discovered in Brazilian rainforests, parasitism by these ticks on cold-blooded animals remains less common than on mammal and bird species. In this study, we identified ticks that were collected from toads that had been caught in December 2016 and January 2017, at Itinguçú waterfall (22°54'05" S; 43°53'30" W) in the municipality of Itaguaí, state of Rio de Janeiro. Tick specimens were identified using a morphological and molecular approach. In total, twelve larvae of Ornithodoros ticks were collected from three individuals of Rhinella ornata and were identified as Ornithodoros faccinii. Our results include a longer 16S rRNA mitochondrial sequence for O. faccinii that supports its phylogenetic relatedness to Ornithodoros saraivai, and we report this tick species parasitizing Rhinella toads for the first time in Brazil.
Resumo Embora um grupo de carrapatos moles (Argasidae) associado a anfíbios tenha sido recentemente descoberto nas florestas brasileiras, o parasitismo por esses carrapatos em animais de sangue frio permanece menos comum do que nas espécies de mamíferos e aves. Neste estudo, identificamos carrapatos que foram coletados de sapos capturados em dezembro de 2016 e janeiro de 2017, na cachoeira de Itinguçú (22°54'05" S; 43°53'30" W) no município de Itaguaí, estado do Rio de Janeiro. Os espécimes de carrapatos foram identificados usando uma abordagem morfológica e molecular. No total, doze larvas de carrapatos Ornithodoros foram coletadas de três indivíduos de Rhinella ornata e foram identificadas como Ornithodoros faccinii. Nossos resultados incluem uma maior seqüência mitocondrial 16S rRNA para O. faccinii que suporta sua relação filogenética com Ornithodoros saraivai e relatamos esta espécie de carrapato parasitando sapos Rhinella pela primeira vez no Brasil.
Assuntos
Animais , Infestações por Carrapato/parasitologia , Bufonidae/parasitologia , Ornithodoros/genética , Filogenia , Brasil , RNA Ribossômico 16S , Ornithodoros/anatomia & histologia , Ornithodoros/classificaçãoRESUMO
Although a group of soft ticks (Argasidae) associated with amphibians was recently discovered in Brazilian rainforests, parasitism by these ticks on cold-blooded animals remains less common than on mammal and bird species. In this study, we identified ticks that were collected from toads that had been caught in December 2016 and January 2017, at Itinguçú waterfall (22°54'05" S; 43°53'30" W) in the municipality of Itaguaí, state of Rio de Janeiro. Tick specimens were identified using a morphological and molecular approach. In total, twelve larvae of Ornithodoros ticks were collected from three individuals of Rhinella ornata and were identified as Ornithodoros faccinii. Our results include a longer 16S rRNA mitochondrial sequence for O. faccinii that supports its phylogenetic relatedness to Ornithodoros saraivai, and we report this tick species parasitizing Rhinella toads for the first time in Brazil.
