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The life cycle of Amblyomma auricularium (Acari: Ixodidae) using rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) as experimental host

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Abstract

The life cycle of Amblyomma auricularium (Conil) is reported for the first time, using rabbits as experimental host. Developmental periods of free-living stages were observed in an incubator at 27 ± 1°C, 80 ± 10% RH and 24 h darkness. The complete life cycle, including pre-feeding periods for each parasitic stage, ranged from 97 to 162 days. The overall sex ratio was 1.16:1 (M:F). Feeding and premolt periods, molting success, and engorgement weight of nymphs were statistically different between males and females (P < 0.01), but because their ranges overlapped, they cannot be used to predict the sex with accuracy. The potential role of rabbits as experimental hosts for rearing A. auricularium in the laboratory is discussed.

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Acknowledgments

We are gratefully to Ms. E. M. Suzuki and N. M. Lopes for helping with colony maintenance and Dr. M. P. A. L. Crespi and Mr. P. Timotio for supplying naive rabbits.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Veterinária (IV), Departamento de Parasitologia Animal (DPA), Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropédica, RJ, 23890-000, Brazil

    João Luiz H. Faccini & Ana Cristina B. Cardoso

  2. Laboratório de Parasitologia, Instituto Butantan, Av.Vital Brasil 1500, Sao Paulo, SP, 05503-900, Brazil

    Valeria C. Onofrio & Darci M. Barros-Battesti

  3. Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ), Departamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva e Saúde Animal, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Sao Paulo, SP, 05508-270, Brazil

    Marcelo B. Labruna

Authors
  1. João Luiz H. Faccini
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  2. Ana Cristina B. Cardoso
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  3. Valeria C. Onofrio
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  4. Marcelo B. Labruna
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  5. Darci M. Barros-Battesti
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to João Luiz H. Faccini.

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Faccini, J.L.H., Cardoso, A.C.B., Onofrio, V.C. et al. The life cycle of Amblyomma auricularium (Acari: Ixodidae) using rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) as experimental host. Exp Appl Acarol 50, 71–77 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-009-9281-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-009-9281-z

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