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Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Acari: Ixodidae) species complex: morphometric and ultrastructural analyses

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Abstract

Although some studies have already been performed on Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille) populations, there is still much disarray around its taxonomic classification. Rhipicephalus sanguineus, which is also known as “ (brown dog tick) is a three-host tick that parasitizes many vertebrates, including occasional human hosts. It presents a worldwide distribution and is a vector of zoonosis with acknowledged public health importance. In Western Europe, R. turanicus (Pomerantsev) share many phenotypic features and is genetically closely related to R. sanguineus. Additionally, as these species are sympatric, they can be easily misidentified. However, by means of a thorough morphological traits analysis, it is possible to distinguish both species, especially resorting to scanning electron microscopy. This study was conducted using stereoscopic and SEM analyses, both associated with morphometric analysis, in order to help clarify the taxonomic status of this species complex. For that purpose, specimens resembling R. sanguineus were collected from dogs of the Midwestern Iberian Peninsula. Identification was performed based on taxonomical key characteristics. The obtained results allowed the authors to agree that a great morphological variability is found within R. sanguineus-like Iberian populations. Nevertheless, R. turanicus is easily identified by morphologic analysis, especially using reference specimens, and its presence in Portugal is suggested.

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Acknowledgements

Our thanks to F. Dantas-Torres for kindly sending us ticks specimens for morphological comparison; and to Dario Ferreirinha, Marina Morgado and Marta Madeira, whom kindly helped in the sampling process.

Funding

This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia of the Portuguese Government (Grant Number PD/BD/109408/2015) to M.J. C-D.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal

    Maria João Coimbra-Dores, Telmo Nunes & Deodália Dias

  2. Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal

    Maria João Coimbra-Dores & Deodália Dias

  3. Faculty of Agronomy, University of Lisbon, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017, Lisbon, Portugal

    Fernanda Rosa

Authors
  1. Maria João Coimbra-Dores
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  2. Telmo Nunes
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  3. Deodália Dias
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Correspondence to Maria João Coimbra-Dores.

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Coimbra-Dores, M.J., Nunes, T., Dias, D. et al. Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Acari: Ixodidae) species complex: morphometric and ultrastructural analyses. Exp Appl Acarol 70, 455–468 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-016-0095-5

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