Liolaemus lizards (Squamata: Liolaemidae) as hosts for the nymph of Amblyomma parvitarsum (Acari: Ixodidae), with notes on Rickettsia infection

SEBASTIÁN MUÑOZ-LEAL; EVELINA L. TARRAGONA; THIAGO F. MARTINS; CLAUDIA M. MARTÍN; FREDDY BURGOS-GALLARDO; SANTIAGO NAVA; MARCELO B. LABRUNA; DANIEL GONZÁLEZ-ACUÑA

EXPERIMENTAL AND APPLIED ACAROLOGY

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2016 vol. 70 p. 253 - 259

0168-8162

Adults of Amblyomma parvitarsum are common ectoparasites of South Americancamelids of the genera Lama and Vicugna, occuring in highlands of Argentina,Bolivia, Chile, Peru and also in Argentinean Patagonia. Whereas larval stages of this tickare known to feed on small lizards, host records for the nymphal instar have remainedunreported. Supported by morphological and molecular analyses, herein we report A.parvitarsum nymphs parasitizing two Liolaemus species (Reptilia: Squamata) in theAndean Plateau of Argentina and Chile. Additionally, by a PCR screening targetting gltAand ompA genes, DNA of Rickettsia was detected in one of the collected nymphs. Obtainedsequences of this agent were identical to a recent Rickettsia sp. described infecting adultsof this tick species in Chile and Argentina.