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Arlei Marcili - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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description of a new soft tick species acari argasidae Ornithodoros parasite of octodon degus rodentia octodontidae in northern chile
Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, 2020Co-Authors: Sebastian Munozleal, José Manuel Venzal, Daniel Gonzalezacuna, Thiago F Martins, Arlei Marcili, Santiago Nava, Marcelo Bahia LabrunaAbstract:Abstract A new argasid (Argasidae) tick is herein described based on morphology and molecular data obtained from larvae parasitizing Octodon degus and from ticks collected inside burrows in northern Chile. Unfed laboratory-reared larvae were mounted in slides for morphometrical and morphological analyses. Larvae of Ornithodoros octodontus n. sp. share morphological traits with Ornithodoros quilinensis and Ornithodoros xerophylus, two species associated with rodents in the Argentinean Chaco. However, a longer hypostome with two rows of 21 and 22 denticles each one, and conspicuous leaf-shaped anal plates separate O. octodontus. While nymphal stages of O. octodontus lack cheeks and possess a micromammillated dorsal integument, adults have cheeks and exhibit markedly irregular mammillae along their dorsal surface. Phylogenetic analyses of neotropical Argasidae based on mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences point that O. octodontus forms a monophyletic group with O. xerophylus and an unidentified Ornithodoros sp. from Bolivia, all of them associated with burrow-dweller rodents. Ornithodoros aragaoi and Ornithodoros davisi, two rare species collected once only in the Peruvian Andean Plateau during 1955 are morphologically closely related with adults and nymphs of O. octodontus. Biological observations of O. octodontus revealed autogenic females. For the moment, subgeneric classification of this new species depends on further biological studies. The fauna of ticks occurring in Chile is now represented by 22 species, 11 belonging to the Argasidae family.
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occurrence of autogeny in a population of Ornithodoros fonsecai acari argasidae
Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, 2019Co-Authors: Ana Carolina Castro Santiago, Thiago F Martins, Arlei Marcili, Leidiane Lima Duarte, Valeria C Onofrio, Fernanda A Nieribastos, Richard C Pacheco, Andreia Lima Tome Melo, Darci Moraes BarrosbattestiAbstract:Abstract Ornithodoros fonsecai is an argasid tick that is endemic to Brazil and has been described in the municipality of Bonito, state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Some specimens of this species were found in a cave in the municipality of Nobres, state of Mato Grosso. The specific identification of this population was confirmed by means of morphology and molecular biology. The mitochondrial 16S rDNA partial sequence of this species from Nobres has been deposited in GenBank (MK158949). The objective of this study was to elucidate the biology of O. fonsecai from Nobres, and to report autogeny in this tick population. Along three laboratory generations was observed molting of first nymphal instar to the second instar without feeding, a typical behavior of species included in the subgenus Alectorobius. The first generation (F1) presented five nymphal instars (N1 to N5), and most of adults emerged through molting of N5. The last nymphal instar of second generation (F2) was N4, but most of adults emerged from N3. In the third generation (F3) the last nymphal instar was N5, with most of the adults emerging from N4. In F2, some females (n = 20) originated from N3 began laying eggs without a blood meal. It was observed that those N3 fed twice before they molted to autogenic females. However, autogenic behavior occurred in relation to third generation females (F3) with specimens originating from N4 (n = 12) that were fed only once as nymphs. This behavior has already been reported as obligatory for the genera Otobius and Antricola, while it is facultative for one species of genus Argas and for four species of genus Ornithodoros. However, the present report provides the first record of facultative autogeny for a species of Ornithodoros in Brazil.
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A relapsing fever Borrelia and spotted fever Rickettsia in ticks from an Andean valley, central Chile
Experimental and Applied Acarology, 2019Co-Authors: Sebastián Muñoz-leal, Arlei Marcili, Danny Fuentes-castillo, Mauricio Ayala, Marcelo B. LabrunaAbstract:In humans, emerging infectious diseases are mostly zoonoses with ticks playing an important role as vectors. Tick-borne relapsing fever Borrelia and spotted fever Rickettsia occur in endemic foci along tropical and subtropical regions of the globe. However, both are widely neglected etiologic agents. In this study, we performed molecular analyses in order to assess the presence of Borrelia and Rickettsia DNA in ticks infesting small-mammals within a National Reserve located in the Andes Mountains, central Chile. While hard ticks were negative for the presence of both agents, sequences of four rickettsial ( gltA , htrA , ompA , ompB ) and two borrelial (16S rRNA and flaB ) genes were obtained from larvae of an Ornithodoros sp. morphologically related with Ornithodoros atacamensis . Phylogenetic analyses indicated that the detected Borrelia and Rickettsia spp. belong to the relapsing fever and spotted fever groups, respectively. Moreover, the agents formed monophyletic clades with Rickettsia amblyommatis and “ Candidatus Borrelia johnsonii.” As positive ticks parasitize rodents within a highly visited National Reserve where outdoor activities are of common practice, the risk for human parasitism should not be discarded.
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detection of rickettsia spp in ticks associated to wild mammals in northeastern brazil with notes on an undetermined Ornithodoros sp collected from marsupials
Experimental and Applied Acarology, 2018Co-Authors: Maerle Oliveira Maia, Sebastian Munozleal, Thiago F Martins, Arlei Marcili, Marcelo B. Labruna, Valdinei C Koppe, Richard C PachecoAbstract:We report tick infestations and rickettsial detection in ticks infesting free-living wild mammals (Monodelphis domestica, Tolypeutes tricinctus, Thrichomys inermis and Kerodon rupestris) captured in the Caatinga ecoregion of Bahia state, northeastern Brazil, during September to December 2016. Overall, 117 ticks (61 larvae, 25 nymphs, 25 males, 6 females) belonging to two genera, and at least three species were collected: Amblyomma auricularium, Amblyomma parvum, Amblyomma sp., Ornithodoros rietcorreai and an unidentified Ornithodoros sp. We provide new host records to the rodent T. inermis parasitized by larva and nymphs of A. auricularium and to the marsupial M. domestica infested by larvae of A. auricularium. Furthermore, we describe new tick-host association for larvae of O. rietcorreai on the rodents K. rupestris and T. inermis. Concerning tick-Rickettsia associations, we detected Rickettsia amblyommatis and an uncharacterized species of Rickettsia belonging to the spotted fever group (SFG) in both A. auricularium and A. parvum. Additionally, ‘Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae’ was detected in A. parvum as well.
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first record of Ornithodoros faccinii acari argasidae on toads of genus rhinella anura bufonidae in brazil
Revista Brasileira De Parasitologia Veterinaria, 2018Co-Authors: Bruna Barboza Bezerra, Sebastian Munozleal, Walter Flausino, Arlei Marcili, Joao Luiz Horacio FacciniAbstract:: 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 Itingucu waterfall (22°54'05" S; 43°53'30" W) in the municipality of Itaguai, 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.
Marcelo Bahia Labruna - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Ornithodoros cerradoensis n. sp. (Acari: Argasidae), a member of the Ornithodoros talaje (Guerin-Meneville, 1849) group, parasite of rodents in the Brazilian Savannah
Ticks and tick-borne diseases, 2020Co-Authors: Sebastián Muñoz-leal, Santiago Nava, Gabriel Alves Landulfo, Maria Marlene Martins, Simone Michaela Simons, Vinicius Da Silva Rodrigues, Vanessa Do Nascimento Ramos, Adriane Suzin, Matias Pablo Juan Szabó, Marcelo Bahia LabrunaAbstract:Abstract Ornithodoros cerradoensis n. sp. is described from field-collected and laboratory reared nymphs, males, females, and larvae parasitizing the rodents Cavia aperea and Thrichomys sp. in the Brazilian Savannah. This new species is morphologically and genetically related with the Ornithodoros talaje group and can be separated from other Neotropical species using the following combination of characters: larva with 18 pairs of setae on dorsum (seven anterolateral, four central and seven posterolateral), hypostome with median dentition 2/2; adults provided with large mammillae; dorsal disks surrounded by bulked marginal ridges delimiting barely pebbled areas; three disks in the anterolateral file, and median disk not merging with the posteromedian file. Feeding assays in the laboratory demonstrated that (1) larvae of O. cerradoensis are slow-feeders (∼6 days), (2) first nymphal instar (N1) molts to second instar (N2) without feeding, and (3) N2 and third nymphal instar (N3) engorge rapidly (minutes). With the exception of Ornithodoros hasei nymphs that depict flattened bodies, O. cerradoensis N1, N2, and N3 highly resemble homologous instars of other species in O. talaje sensu lato, therefore are not suitable for morphological comparisons within the group. In addition to morphological signature of larvae and adults that separate this new species; results of cross-mating attempts between O. cerradoensis and Ornithodoros guaporensis a morphologically and phylogenetically closely related species that also parasitizes rodents in the Brazilian Savannah; a Principal Component Analysis using larval characters; and a phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial markers, support O. cerradoensis as an independent lineage within the Ornithodorinae.
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description of a new soft tick species acari argasidae Ornithodoros parasite of octodon degus rodentia octodontidae in northern chile
Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, 2020Co-Authors: Sebastian Munozleal, José Manuel Venzal, Daniel Gonzalezacuna, Thiago F Martins, Arlei Marcili, Santiago Nava, Marcelo Bahia LabrunaAbstract:Abstract A new argasid (Argasidae) tick is herein described based on morphology and molecular data obtained from larvae parasitizing Octodon degus and from ticks collected inside burrows in northern Chile. Unfed laboratory-reared larvae were mounted in slides for morphometrical and morphological analyses. Larvae of Ornithodoros octodontus n. sp. share morphological traits with Ornithodoros quilinensis and Ornithodoros xerophylus, two species associated with rodents in the Argentinean Chaco. However, a longer hypostome with two rows of 21 and 22 denticles each one, and conspicuous leaf-shaped anal plates separate O. octodontus. While nymphal stages of O. octodontus lack cheeks and possess a micromammillated dorsal integument, adults have cheeks and exhibit markedly irregular mammillae along their dorsal surface. Phylogenetic analyses of neotropical Argasidae based on mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences point that O. octodontus forms a monophyletic group with O. xerophylus and an unidentified Ornithodoros sp. from Bolivia, all of them associated with burrow-dweller rodents. Ornithodoros aragaoi and Ornithodoros davisi, two rare species collected once only in the Peruvian Andean Plateau during 1955 are morphologically closely related with adults and nymphs of O. octodontus. Biological observations of O. octodontus revealed autogenic females. For the moment, subgeneric classification of this new species depends on further biological studies. The fauna of ticks occurring in Chile is now represented by 22 species, 11 belonging to the Argasidae family.
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New records of ticks infesting bats in Brazil, with observations on the first nymphal stage of Ornithodoros hasei
Experimental & applied acarology, 2018Co-Authors: Sebastián Muñoz-leal, Marcelo Bahia Labruna, Eder Barbier, Fábio Angelo Melo Soares, Enrico Bernard, Filipe Dantas-torresAbstract:In Brazil, at least 14 species of soft ticks (Argasidae) are associated with bats. While Ornithodoros hasei seems to be abundant among foliage-roosting bats, other groups of ticks are found exclusively inside caves. In this paper, noteworthy records of soft ticks infesting bats are documented in new localities from Bahia, Pernambuco, Piauí, and Rondônia states. Out of 201 bats examined, 25 were infested by 152 ticks belonging to seven taxa: Ornithodoros cavernicolous, O. hasei, Ornithodoros marinkellei, Ornithodoros cf. fonsecai, Ornithodoros cf. clarki, Antricola sp., and Nothoaspis amazoniensis. These findings provide new insights into the geographical distribution and host association of soft ticks occurring in the Neotropical region. Remarkably, morphological and biological observations about O. hasei are inferred based on the examination of on-host-collected first stage nymphs.
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First report of Ornithodoros peropteryx in Brazil, and the occurrence of Ornithodoros cavernicolous in the western Brazilian Amazon
Systematic and Applied Acarology, 2018Co-Authors: Sebastián Muñoz-leal, Flavio A Terassini, Luis Marcelo Aranha Camargo, Hermes Ribeiro Luz, Isabella Fontana, Marcelo Bahia LabrunaAbstract:More than half of the Brazilian soft ticks (Argasidae) are represented by species associated with bats. Based on a morphological and molecular approach of free-living ticks collected inside two unexplored caves in Rondônia state, western Brazilian Amazon, we report the occurrence of Ornithodoros peropteryx for the first time in Brazil. Our findings also extend the distribution of Ornithodoros cavernicolous towards western Brazilian Amazon. Additionally, our collections include previously unknown male of O. peropteryx. In both species, partial 16S rRNA mitochondrial gene sequences showed >99% of identity when compared to available conspecific data from other localities. Although more data is necessary to make a general conclusion, high vagility of hosts could be favoring low genetic structure among these ectoparasites.
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Description of a new soft tick species (Acari: Argasidae: Ornithodoros) associated with stream-breeding frogs (Anura: Cycloramphidae: Cycloramphus) in Brazil
Ticks and tick-borne diseases, 2017Co-Authors: Sebastián Muñoz-leal, José Manuel Venzal, Thiago F Martins, Arlei Marcili, Luís Felipe Toledo, Igor Da Cunha Lima Acosta, Adriano Pinter, Marcelo Bahia LabrunaAbstract:In this study, we present a morphological description of immature and adult specimens of Ornithodoros saraivai n. sp., a tick associated with the frog Cycloramphus boraceiensis (Cycloramphidae) at São Sebastião island, located in the São Paulo state seaboard, Brazil. While larvae of O. saraivai are ecologically related to Ornithodoros faccinii, another soft tick associated with cycloramphids, the combination of 7 sternal pairs, 16 dorsal pairs, a pyriform dorsal plate and a partially toothed hypostome constitute unique characters of the O. saraivai larvae. One undetermined nymphal instar and adults of O. saraivai are similar to mature specimens of the Ornithodoros talaje species group; however, the O. saraivai specimens can be recognized by the presence of a robust bean-shaped spiracle with a large spiracular plate and more than two long seta in palpal article I. Identical partial sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rDNA gene confirmed the identity for all collected stages and for two cohorts of laboratory-reared larvae of O. saraivai. A Bayesian and Maximum Parsimony inferred phylogenetic trees support the position of O. saraivai in a clade with O. faccinii, suggesting the existence of an Ornithodoros lineage that evolved in association with amphibians.
Santiago Nava - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Ornithodoros cerradoensis n. sp. (Acari: Argasidae), a member of the Ornithodoros talaje (Guerin-Meneville, 1849) group, parasite of rodents in the Brazilian Savannah
Ticks and tick-borne diseases, 2020Co-Authors: Sebastián Muñoz-leal, Santiago Nava, Gabriel Alves Landulfo, Maria Marlene Martins, Simone Michaela Simons, Vinicius Da Silva Rodrigues, Vanessa Do Nascimento Ramos, Adriane Suzin, Matias Pablo Juan Szabó, Marcelo Bahia LabrunaAbstract:Abstract Ornithodoros cerradoensis n. sp. is described from field-collected and laboratory reared nymphs, males, females, and larvae parasitizing the rodents Cavia aperea and Thrichomys sp. in the Brazilian Savannah. This new species is morphologically and genetically related with the Ornithodoros talaje group and can be separated from other Neotropical species using the following combination of characters: larva with 18 pairs of setae on dorsum (seven anterolateral, four central and seven posterolateral), hypostome with median dentition 2/2; adults provided with large mammillae; dorsal disks surrounded by bulked marginal ridges delimiting barely pebbled areas; three disks in the anterolateral file, and median disk not merging with the posteromedian file. Feeding assays in the laboratory demonstrated that (1) larvae of O. cerradoensis are slow-feeders (∼6 days), (2) first nymphal instar (N1) molts to second instar (N2) without feeding, and (3) N2 and third nymphal instar (N3) engorge rapidly (minutes). With the exception of Ornithodoros hasei nymphs that depict flattened bodies, O. cerradoensis N1, N2, and N3 highly resemble homologous instars of other species in O. talaje sensu lato, therefore are not suitable for morphological comparisons within the group. In addition to morphological signature of larvae and adults that separate this new species; results of cross-mating attempts between O. cerradoensis and Ornithodoros guaporensis a morphologically and phylogenetically closely related species that also parasitizes rodents in the Brazilian Savannah; a Principal Component Analysis using larval characters; and a phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial markers, support O. cerradoensis as an independent lineage within the Ornithodorinae.
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description of a new soft tick species acari argasidae Ornithodoros parasite of octodon degus rodentia octodontidae in northern chile
Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, 2020Co-Authors: Sebastian Munozleal, José Manuel Venzal, Daniel Gonzalezacuna, Thiago F Martins, Arlei Marcili, Santiago Nava, Marcelo Bahia LabrunaAbstract:Abstract A new argasid (Argasidae) tick is herein described based on morphology and molecular data obtained from larvae parasitizing Octodon degus and from ticks collected inside burrows in northern Chile. Unfed laboratory-reared larvae were mounted in slides for morphometrical and morphological analyses. Larvae of Ornithodoros octodontus n. sp. share morphological traits with Ornithodoros quilinensis and Ornithodoros xerophylus, two species associated with rodents in the Argentinean Chaco. However, a longer hypostome with two rows of 21 and 22 denticles each one, and conspicuous leaf-shaped anal plates separate O. octodontus. While nymphal stages of O. octodontus lack cheeks and possess a micromammillated dorsal integument, adults have cheeks and exhibit markedly irregular mammillae along their dorsal surface. Phylogenetic analyses of neotropical Argasidae based on mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences point that O. octodontus forms a monophyletic group with O. xerophylus and an unidentified Ornithodoros sp. from Bolivia, all of them associated with burrow-dweller rodents. Ornithodoros aragaoi and Ornithodoros davisi, two rare species collected once only in the Peruvian Andean Plateau during 1955 are morphologically closely related with adults and nymphs of O. octodontus. Biological observations of O. octodontus revealed autogenic females. For the moment, subgeneric classification of this new species depends on further biological studies. The fauna of ticks occurring in Chile is now represented by 22 species, 11 belonging to the Argasidae family.
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Description of Ornithodoros montensis n. sp. (Acari, Ixodida: Argasidae), a parasite of the toad Rhinella arenarum (Amphibia, Anura: Bufonidae) in the Monte Desert of Argentina
Experimental & applied acarology, 2019Co-Authors: José Manuel Venzal, Atilio J. Mangold, Gabriel Natalio Castillo, Cynthia Jessica Gonzalez-rivas, Santiago NavaAbstract:A new tick species of the genus Ornithodoros (Acari: Argasidae) was described from larvae collected on the toad Rhinella arenarum in a locality from Argentina belonging to the Monte Biogeographic Province. Ornithodoros montensis n. sp. was described based on morphological traits and sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. The diagnostic characters for this species are a combination of idiosoma oval, dorsal plate pyriform with posterior margin slightly concave, dorsal surface with 17 pairs of setae (7 anterolateral, 4 to 5 central and 5 to 6 posterolateral), ventral surface with 6 pairs of setae and 1 pair on anal valves, three pairs of sternal setae, postcoxal setae absent, and hypostome pointed apically with dental formula 3/3 in the anterior half and 2/2 posteriorly almost to base. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA sequences and a principal component analysis based on morphometric characters provided additional support to the description of O. montensis as an independent lineage within the genus Ornithodoros. Larvae of O. montensis are phylogenetically closely related to O. puertoricensis, O. rioplatensis, O. talaje s.s., O. guaporensis, O. hasei and O. atacamensis, all of them belonging to the “O. talaje group”.
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Morphological Keys for Genera and Species of Ixodidae and Argasidae
Ticks of the Southern Cone of America, 2017Co-Authors: Santiago Nava, Daniel González-acuña, José Manuel Venzal, Thiago F Martins, Alberto A. GuglielmoneAbstract:Dichotomous keys using morphological external characters were constructed to identify genera and species of Argasidae and Ixodidae, except the genera Dermacentor (Ixodidae) and Otobius (Argasidae) with only one species each in the Southern Cone of America. No key for ixodid larvae is given due to insufficient information. Males, females, and nymphs of all Amblyomma (25 species), Haemaphysalis (2), and Rhipicephalus (2 species) are included but 6 males and 5 nymphs of the 16 species of Ixodes are unknown or imprecisely described. The situation for Argasidae (5 Argas and 12 Ornithodoros ) is different because larvae morphology is relevant for specific diagnosis, especially for Ornithodoros , and less so for adult ticks. Therefore, keys are presented for larvae and adult ticks as differences between male and female ticks are morphologically irrelevant, but adult ticks of five species of Ornithodoros are unknown. No keys for nymphs of Argasidae are presented because their external characters are similar to the corresponding adults.
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Genera and Species of Argasidae
Ticks of the Southern Cone of America, 2017Co-Authors: Santiago Nava, Daniel González-acuña, José Manuel Venzal, Thiago F Martins, Alberto A. GuglielmoneAbstract:Distribution, hosts, notes on ecology, and sanitary importance along with taxonomical considerations and morphological diagnosis for adults and larvae are provided for the 18 species of Argasidae (5 Argas , 12 Ornithodoros , and 1 species of Otobius ) established in the Southern Cone of America. A condensed phylogenetic tree based on mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences is included to show the relationship among species. There is controversy about the presence of A. miniatus and A. persicus but we provisionally considered both as found in the region. Or. capensis is treated as established in one southern country (Chile) by other workers but this fact is still unproven. Several species are of medical relevance but additional efforts have to be made to know their role as vector of diseases. The genus Ornithodoros is of special phylogenetic interest and deserves additional studies to understand life history of Argasidae, and to find adults of some species that are known only by the larva.
José Manuel Venzal - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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description of a new soft tick species acari argasidae Ornithodoros parasite of octodon degus rodentia octodontidae in northern chile
Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, 2020Co-Authors: Sebastian Munozleal, José Manuel Venzal, Daniel Gonzalezacuna, Thiago F Martins, Arlei Marcili, Santiago Nava, Marcelo Bahia LabrunaAbstract:Abstract A new argasid (Argasidae) tick is herein described based on morphology and molecular data obtained from larvae parasitizing Octodon degus and from ticks collected inside burrows in northern Chile. Unfed laboratory-reared larvae were mounted in slides for morphometrical and morphological analyses. Larvae of Ornithodoros octodontus n. sp. share morphological traits with Ornithodoros quilinensis and Ornithodoros xerophylus, two species associated with rodents in the Argentinean Chaco. However, a longer hypostome with two rows of 21 and 22 denticles each one, and conspicuous leaf-shaped anal plates separate O. octodontus. While nymphal stages of O. octodontus lack cheeks and possess a micromammillated dorsal integument, adults have cheeks and exhibit markedly irregular mammillae along their dorsal surface. Phylogenetic analyses of neotropical Argasidae based on mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences point that O. octodontus forms a monophyletic group with O. xerophylus and an unidentified Ornithodoros sp. from Bolivia, all of them associated with burrow-dweller rodents. Ornithodoros aragaoi and Ornithodoros davisi, two rare species collected once only in the Peruvian Andean Plateau during 1955 are morphologically closely related with adults and nymphs of O. octodontus. Biological observations of O. octodontus revealed autogenic females. For the moment, subgeneric classification of this new species depends on further biological studies. The fauna of ticks occurring in Chile is now represented by 22 species, 11 belonging to the Argasidae family.
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Description of Ornithodoros montensis n. sp. (Acari, Ixodida: Argasidae), a parasite of the toad Rhinella arenarum (Amphibia, Anura: Bufonidae) in the Monte Desert of Argentina
Experimental & applied acarology, 2019Co-Authors: José Manuel Venzal, Atilio J. Mangold, Gabriel Natalio Castillo, Cynthia Jessica Gonzalez-rivas, Santiago NavaAbstract:A new tick species of the genus Ornithodoros (Acari: Argasidae) was described from larvae collected on the toad Rhinella arenarum in a locality from Argentina belonging to the Monte Biogeographic Province. Ornithodoros montensis n. sp. was described based on morphological traits and sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. The diagnostic characters for this species are a combination of idiosoma oval, dorsal plate pyriform with posterior margin slightly concave, dorsal surface with 17 pairs of setae (7 anterolateral, 4 to 5 central and 5 to 6 posterolateral), ventral surface with 6 pairs of setae and 1 pair on anal valves, three pairs of sternal setae, postcoxal setae absent, and hypostome pointed apically with dental formula 3/3 in the anterior half and 2/2 posteriorly almost to base. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA sequences and a principal component analysis based on morphometric characters provided additional support to the description of O. montensis as an independent lineage within the genus Ornithodoros. Larvae of O. montensis are phylogenetically closely related to O. puertoricensis, O. rioplatensis, O. talaje s.s., O. guaporensis, O. hasei and O. atacamensis, all of them belonging to the “O. talaje group”.
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Description of a new soft tick species (Acari: Argasidae: Ornithodoros) associated with stream-breeding frogs (Anura: Cycloramphidae: Cycloramphus) in Brazil
Ticks and tick-borne diseases, 2017Co-Authors: Sebastián Muñoz-leal, José Manuel Venzal, Thiago F Martins, Arlei Marcili, Luís Felipe Toledo, Igor Da Cunha Lima Acosta, Adriano Pinter, Marcelo Bahia LabrunaAbstract:In this study, we present a morphological description of immature and adult specimens of Ornithodoros saraivai n. sp., a tick associated with the frog Cycloramphus boraceiensis (Cycloramphidae) at São Sebastião island, located in the São Paulo state seaboard, Brazil. While larvae of O. saraivai are ecologically related to Ornithodoros faccinii, another soft tick associated with cycloramphids, the combination of 7 sternal pairs, 16 dorsal pairs, a pyriform dorsal plate and a partially toothed hypostome constitute unique characters of the O. saraivai larvae. One undetermined nymphal instar and adults of O. saraivai are similar to mature specimens of the Ornithodoros talaje species group; however, the O. saraivai specimens can be recognized by the presence of a robust bean-shaped spiracle with a large spiracular plate and more than two long seta in palpal article I. Identical partial sequences of the mitochondrial 16S rDNA gene confirmed the identity for all collected stages and for two cohorts of laboratory-reared larvae of O. saraivai. A Bayesian and Maximum Parsimony inferred phylogenetic trees support the position of O. saraivai in a clade with O. faccinii, suggesting the existence of an Ornithodoros lineage that evolved in association with amphibians.
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Morphological Keys for Genera and Species of Ixodidae and Argasidae
Ticks of the Southern Cone of America, 2017Co-Authors: Santiago Nava, Daniel González-acuña, José Manuel Venzal, Thiago F Martins, Alberto A. GuglielmoneAbstract:Dichotomous keys using morphological external characters were constructed to identify genera and species of Argasidae and Ixodidae, except the genera Dermacentor (Ixodidae) and Otobius (Argasidae) with only one species each in the Southern Cone of America. No key for ixodid larvae is given due to insufficient information. Males, females, and nymphs of all Amblyomma (25 species), Haemaphysalis (2), and Rhipicephalus (2 species) are included but 6 males and 5 nymphs of the 16 species of Ixodes are unknown or imprecisely described. The situation for Argasidae (5 Argas and 12 Ornithodoros ) is different because larvae morphology is relevant for specific diagnosis, especially for Ornithodoros , and less so for adult ticks. Therefore, keys are presented for larvae and adult ticks as differences between male and female ticks are morphologically irrelevant, but adult ticks of five species of Ornithodoros are unknown. No keys for nymphs of Argasidae are presented because their external characters are similar to the corresponding adults.
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Genera and Species of Argasidae
Ticks of the Southern Cone of America, 2017Co-Authors: Santiago Nava, Daniel González-acuña, José Manuel Venzal, Thiago F Martins, Alberto A. GuglielmoneAbstract:Distribution, hosts, notes on ecology, and sanitary importance along with taxonomical considerations and morphological diagnosis for adults and larvae are provided for the 18 species of Argasidae (5 Argas , 12 Ornithodoros , and 1 species of Otobius ) established in the Southern Cone of America. A condensed phylogenetic tree based on mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences is included to show the relationship among species. There is controversy about the presence of A. miniatus and A. persicus but we provisionally considered both as found in the region. Or. capensis is treated as established in one southern country (Chile) by other workers but this fact is still unproven. Several species are of medical relevance but additional efforts have to be made to know their role as vector of diseases. The genus Ornithodoros is of special phylogenetic interest and deserves additional studies to understand life history of Argasidae, and to find adults of some species that are known only by the larva.
Michael J Turell - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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experimental transmission of karshi and langat tick borne encephalitis virus complex viruses by Ornithodoros ticks acari argasidae
Journal of Medical Entomology, 2004Co-Authors: Michael J Turell, Christopher N Mores, John S Lee, Jason Paragas, D Shermuhemedova, T P Endy, S KhodjaevAbstract:Abstract Selected species of mosquitoes and Ornithodoros ticks were evaluated for their potential to transmit Karshi and Langat (tick-borne encephalitis virus complex) viruses in the laboratory. Although there was no evidence of replication of Karshi virus in either of the two mosquito species tested [Ochlerotatus taeniorhynchus (Wiedemann) or Culex pipiens (L.)], Karshi virus replicated in and was transmitted by all three species of Ornithodoros ticks tested (Ornithodoros parkeri Cooley, Ornithodoros sonrai Sautet & Witkowski, and Ornithodoros tartakovskyi Olenev). When inoculated with Karshi virus, 90% of Ornithodoros ticks (44/49) transmitted this virus by bite to suckling mice, and transmission continued to occur for at least 1 yr, the longest extrinsic incubation tested. After feeding on a suckling mouse with a viremia of ≈105 suckling mouse subcutaneous lethal dose50 units of Karshi virus per milliliter of blood, all three species of Ornithodoros tested became infected with and transmitted Karshi vi...
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experimental transmission of langat tick borne encephalitis virus complex virus by the soft tick Ornithodoros sonrai acari argasidae
Journal of Medical Entomology, 1994Co-Authors: Michael J Turell, Lance A DurdenAbstract:Laboratory studies determined that the soft tick Ornithodoros sonrai Sautet & Witkowski is a competent vector of Langat (tick-borne encephalitis virus complex) virus. When ticks fed on suckling mice having a mean viremia of 10(7.2) plaque-forming units per ml, 52% (n = 208) became infected, and 84% (n = 87) of the infected ticks transmitted virus by bite when fed individually on suckling mice > or = 27 d after the infectious blood meal. Overall, 79 of 184 (43%) of ticks exposed to the original viremic mice individually transmitted virus by bite when tested up to 351 d after the infectious blood meal. In addition, ticks transmitted virus both transstadially and transovarially. Some ticks that transmitted virus during their first transmission attempt were retested. These ticks transmitted virus during 81 (99%) of 82 refeeding attempts, including ticks that transmitted virus 512 d after the initial infectious meal. Therefore, Ornithodoros spp. should be considered as potential vectors of Langat and other tick-borne encephalitis viruses.