Abstract
Ticks (Ixodida) are ecologically important ectoparasites that may impact human health and economic activities. Parasitoid wasps are natural enemies of ticks and a potential option for its biological control. In the present study, we recorded parasitism of the nymphs of the tick Amblyomma nodosum by the parasitoid wasp Ixodiphagus hookeri. The ticks, in turn, were parasitizing white-bearded manakins, Manacus manacus (Passeriformes: Pipridae) in the União Biological Reserve, one of the last major remnants of lowland rainforest in Rio de Janeiro state, southeastern Brazil. During the collection of ectoparasites from two manakins in this reserve, 20–30 parasitoid wasps hatched spontaneously from two of the ticks collected. The species of the tick nymphs and adult wasps were identified using morphological traits and molecular analyses. This record is the first documented case of I. hookeri parasitizing A. nodosum and the first time that parasitoid wasps have been found in ticks parasitizing birds in Brazil. This is also the first record of Ixodiphagus from southeastern Brazil in more than a century, with the only other record dating back to 1914. The record presented here provides valuable new information on the biology of this tick and its parasitoids, and new insights into this interspecific interaction. Further research on these vertebrate-tick-wasp interactions will be necessary to better understand the respective roles of the organisms involved in these processes.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the administrators and staff of the União Biological Reserve for providing logistic support and other assistance. Research in the reserve was authorized by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) through permit number 24920-28. We are also grateful to the members of the UERJ Bird Ecology and Behavior Laboratory (Laboratório de Ecologia de Aves e Comportamento—UERJ) for their assistance in the field and the Genomic DNA Sequencing Platform (PDTIS) at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation for its support for the sequencing of the samples. To three anonymous reviewers, for valuable contributions to the early version of the manuscript. Additionally, we would like to thank Carlos A.N. Ramos (Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul) for his support on the sequencing of I. hookeri. This study was supported by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) through a research fellowship to Maria Alice S. Alves (PQ process #306.579/2018-9), who was also supported by the Carlos Chagas Filho Rio de Janeiro State Research Foundation (FAPERJ) through CNE research grant, process #E-26/202.835/2018 and by Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (Productivity Program: Prociência).
Funding
MOMV received funding from the “Carlos Chagas Filho” Rio de Janeiro State Research Foundation (FAPERJ) under grant agreement no. E-26/200.627/2017. This study was supported by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and FAPERJ through research grants to MASA (processes #306.579/2018–9 and #E-26/202.835/2018, respectively).
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Mariah O. M. Vecchi: field work, writing of the first version and revision of the manuscript. Rafael Antonio Nascimento Ramos: identification (including molecular) of the parasitoids and revision of the manuscript. Karla Bitencourth: identification (taxonomic and molecular) of the ticks and revision of the manuscript. Maurício B. Vecchi: helping field work, writing and revision of the manuscript. Maria Alice S. Alves: project administration, conception of the study, writing and revision of the manuscript. All the authors reviewed and approved the final version of manuscript.
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Vecchi, M.O.M., Ramos, R.A.N., Bitencourth, K. et al. First record of the parasitoid wasp Ixodiphagus hookeri (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) infesting the tick Amblyomma nodosum (Acari: Ixodidae). Parasitol Res 122, 1255–1259 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-023-07813-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-023-07813-7