Neotropical mammal parasite biodiversity: advances and perspectives

NAVONE G T; JIMENEZ A

Mendoza

Congreso; X Internacional Mammalogical Congress; 2009

The catalog of the diversity of parasites of mammals of the neotropics has a long history starting with the first records published by Rudolphi in 1819. The early efforts of Latin American taxonomists added to the list of species of parasites of mammals. This effort is far from complete, as many species of parasites are still undescribed. The foundation for the preservation of biomes depends on a complete survey of the biodiversity present therein. The results of this survey would provide the practical and scientific foundation to manage and preserve such biodiversity. Parasites represent a substantial portion of global biodiversity, because about 50% of the known animal species can be classified as parasites. They include an extended range of protists, arthropods and helminth parasites. Parasitology includes research about taxonomy, ecology, systematics and evolution. This research includes the description of new species, the elucidation of their relationships and understanding of their ability to colonize and infect new groups of hosts. Thus, the study of parasite diversity provides insights into the history and biogeography of their hosts and the structure of ecosystems, among other aspects. Due to the mixture of long time endemic fauna, and arrival of geologically recent components, Neotropical mammals offer a challenging model to develop parasitological studies. Presenters in this symposium will summarize the evolutionary history of parasites of the neotropics and their associations with endemic mammals including their patterns of diversification, historical association, and spatial and temporal distributions