Castillo Gabriel N., Acosta Juan C., Rodríguez-Muñoz Melina, Martínez Tomás, González-Rivas Cynthia, Nava Santiago
Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Av. Ignacio de la Roza 590, 5402, San Juan, Argentina
Gabinete de Investigación Diversidad y Biología de Vertebrados del Árido (DIBIOVA). Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Av. Ignacio de la Roza 590, 5402, San Juan, Argentina
Ann Parasitol. 2019;65(1):27-33. doi: 10.17420/ap6501.180.
Records of lizard parasitizing ticks in Argentina are scarce and incomplete. We recorded a new population of Liolaemus eleodori, a lizard endemic to Argentina, parasitized by the hard tick Amblyomma parvitarsum. Hence, the objective of this study is to report this new association and enhance knowledge about its parasitism on reptiles of Argentina. To do this, we researched ectoparasitic loads. We determined different ecological predictors: intensity, mean intensity and prevalence. Our results provide the first data on the parasitism of nymphal stages on this lizard. We found a tick prevalence of 91.6% and a mean intensity of 2.45. Considering sexes, mean intensity was higher in females than in males. The gular region and lower ventral abdomen were the highest parasitized anatomical regions. This new record of the host-parasite association suggests that this relationship is not accidental, with this lizard species being central to the tick’s life cycle. Probably, the microhabitat of this lizard species is essential for the tick to reach high prevalence. Our study represents an important contribution and provides additional information on parasitism in lizards of Argentina.
在阿根廷，蜥蜴寄生蜱虫的记录稀少且不完整。我们记录了阿根廷特有的蜥蜴物种埃氏鬃狮蜥（Liolaemus eleodori）的一个新种群，该种群被微小扇头蜱（Amblyomma parvitarsum）寄生。因此，本研究的目的是报告这一新的关联，并增进对阿根廷蜥蜴寄生虫现象的了解。为此，我们研究了体表寄生虫负荷。我们确定了不同的生态预测指标：强度、平均强度和患病率。我们的研究结果提供了关于该蜥蜴若虫阶段寄生虫现象的首批数据。我们发现蜱虫的患病率为91.6%，平均强度为2.45。考虑到性别，雌性的平均强度高于雄性。喉部区域和腹部下侧是寄生虫感染最严重的解剖部位。这种宿主 - 寄生虫关联的新记录表明这种关系并非偶然，该蜥蜴物种在蜱虫的生命周期中起着核心作用。可能，这种蜥蜴物种的微生境对于蜱虫达到高患病率至关重要。我们的研究是一项重要贡献，并提供了关于阿根廷蜥蜴寄生虫现象的更多信息。
