Doctorado en Ciencias, Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 No. 26-10, 170004, Manizales. Caldas, Colombia; Grupo de Investigación en Genética, Biodiversidad y Manejo de Ecosistemas (GEBIOME), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Caldas, Calle 65 No. 26-10, 170004, Manizales, Caldas, Colombia.
Grupo de Investigación Parasitología Veterinaria, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y de Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Carrera 30 No.45-03, 111321, Bogotá D.C., Colombia.
Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 2022 May;13(3):101923. doi: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2022.101923. Epub 2022 Feb 13.
Ticks of the Amblyomma maculatum (Acari: Ixodidae) group are represented by three species: Amblyomma maculatum, Amblyomma tigrinum, and Amblyomma triste. This group is widely distributed throughout the Nearctic and Neotropical regions, from the United States of America (USA) to Argentina. They parasitize several vertebrates, including domestic mammals and humans. Nonetheless, the identification and distribution of the species within the group have been controversial but can be solved with integrative studies on their taxonomy and ecology. In Colombia, a Neotropical country from which up to 58 tick species have been reported, only Amblyomma maculatum Koch, 1844 (sensu stricto - s.s.) - morphotype II - has been molecularly confirmed. Here, specimens of the A. maculatum group from three departments of Colombia were examined by morphological and molecular analyses. The results confirmed the wide distribution of A. maculatum s.s. in Colombia. Furthermore, the presence of A. triste s.s. - morphotype I was confirmed for the first time at the molecular level, which broadens the distribution of this species in the American continent. Considering that both taxa are vectors of pathogens such as Rickettsia parkeri s.s., additional taxonomic, reproductive compatibility and niche distribution studies are needed, as well as the application of new molecular markers due to the controversial taxonomy. This will allow us to explore cryptic diversity within the recently established putative groups.
扁虱的 Amblyomma maculatum（蜱螨目：硬蜱科）组由三个物种组成：Amblyomma maculatum、Amblyomma tigrinum 和 Amblyomma triste。该组广泛分布于新北界和新热带地区，从美国到阿根廷。它们寄生在几种脊椎动物上，包括家畜和人类。然而，该组内物种的鉴定和分布一直存在争议，但可以通过对其分类学和生态学的综合研究来解决。在哥伦比亚，一个有多达 58 种蜱种的新热带国家，仅分子上确认了 Amblyomma maculatum Koch, 1844（狭义意义上的 s.s.）- 形态型 II。在此，对哥伦比亚三个地区的 Amblyomma maculatum 组标本进行了形态和分子分析。结果证实了 Amblyomma maculatum s.s. 在哥伦比亚的广泛分布。此外，首次在分子水平上确认了 Amblyomma triste s.s. - 形态型 I 的存在，这扩大了该物种在美洲大陆的分布范围。考虑到这两个分类单元都是病原体如 Rickettsia parkeri s.s. 的载体，需要进行更多的分类学、生殖兼容性和生态位分布研究，并应用新的分子标记，因为分类学存在争议。这将使我们能够探索最近建立的假定群体内的隐生多样性。
