The parasitism of immature stages of Ixodes loricatus Neumann, 1899 (Acari: Ixodidae) on wild rodents. Associates and host preference in riparian localities of Argentina.

BELDOMÉNICO PABLO; MARCELA LARESCHI; SANTIAGO NAVA; AJ MANGOLD; A GUGLIELMONE

EXPERIMENTAL AND APPLIED ACAROLOGY

SPRINGER

Año: 2005 vol. 36 p. 139 - 148

0168-8162

Ixodes loricatus has long been considered with strict-total specificity to New World Marsupials. However, frequent findings of its immature stages on rodents suggest that these vertebrates play an important role in the tick’s life cycle. Aspects dealing with the ecology of Sigmodontinae infestation by I. loricatus are unknown. To contribute to the knowledge of the ecology of this tick species, environmental factors, as well as host species, sex and age, were evaluated to find associations of immature I. loricatus infestation of the most abundant wild rodent species from riparian localities of Buenos Aires province (Argentina). A total of 290 hosts belonging to the subfamily Sigmodontinae were captured and examined for ticks at six localities. The data analysis showed that there was a preference of I. loricatus towards Akodon azarae, but only for those hosts captured in lands not prone to flooding. The results suggest that the host preference of I. loricatus is mainly related to factors such as habitat type and host density.