Distribution and Seasonal Variations of <em>Argas persicus</em> in Senegal

This study reports on the habitat, distribution and seasonal abundance variations of Argas persicus (Oken, 1818) in Senegal. Traditional fowl houses – habitat of this tick species – were characterized in rural areas and various models were described: the bits-and-pieces model, thorn-branches model, weaved-plants models, and clay-made models. The distribution based on the square-degree scale indicated that the presence and abundance of Argas persicus mainly concerned the northern half of the country, whereas it was rare in the southern part. The seasonal variation of ticks was monitored for 17 months in the Sahelian zone. Tick removing and collecting from 50 fowls were performed every month for five minutes in each of the 30 fowl houses. They showed an all year round activity of Argas persicus. Examination of 200 blood smears in indigenous fowls, during the dry as well as the rainy seasons, did not indicate the presence of blood parasites. However, modern poultry production units located in the same areas were faced with epizootics of avian spirochetosis

The Known Distribution and Ecological Preferences of the Tick Subgenus Boophilus (Acari: Ixodidae) in Africa and Latin America

A compilation of the known distribution of Boophilus ticks in Africa and Latin America is presented, together with details on climate preferences. B. annulatus is recorded mainly in the western part of a strip from the equator to parallel 20 degrees N. It associates with woodlands and forests (lowland rain forest and secondary grassland). This species is also present in the Mediterranean region, associated to woodland and open areas. B. decoloratus extends southern to parallel 20 degrees N, in woodland with montane vegetation and Zambezian miombo; some records have been collected in the highveld grassland. B. geigyi is mainly collected in the western range of a stripe extending between parallels 5 degrees N and 18 degrees N, associated with Sudanian woodland, lowland rain forest with secondary grassland and woodland. Confirmed records of microplus in Africa are restricted to Malagasy region and south and eastern Africa, being predominant in the Zambezian miombo, deciduous forest with secondary grassland, and woodland. In Latin America, microplus is abundant in the Mesoamerican corridor to Venezuela and Colombia, and southern in Brazil and Argentina. The tick is mainly associated to the biomes of Chaco and Pampas in Argentina, the North-central moist Andes, the Atlantic forest (southern range) and the moist Meso-American vegetation (northern range). Most collections of B. annulatus and B. geigyi came from areas where winter minimum temperature is above 15 degrees C, maximum temperatures remain between 33 and 36 degrees C and maximum rainfall is recorded between June and September. B. decoloratus and African B. microplus are recorded in sites with low temperatures in May-September. Minimum temperature requirements are similar for both B. decoloratus and African B. microplus, and both are around 4 degrees C less than the value recorded for collections of Latin-American B. microplus. The rainfall pattern observed for decoloratus shows a minimum in May and June. The requirements of total rainfall are highest for B. microplus in Latin America, while records of African B. microplus are concentrated in areas of low rainfall between May and October, and high rainfall between November and March (low rainfall in the same period for B. decoloratus). Statistical analysis revealed the existence of populations (demes) with ecologically different requirements within each tick species. Both B. annulatus and B. decoloratus showed many different demes clearly associated to defined areas. The collections of Latin American B. microplus are very homogeneous according climate preferences and well separated from the African counterpart

Primeiro relato de Amblyomma fuscum Neumann, 1907 (acari: ixodidae) parasitando lagarto da espécie Tupinambis teguixin (L.), no município de Glorinha, estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil The first report of Amblyomma fuscum Neumann, 1907 (acari ixodidae) on the lizard Tupinambis teguixin (L.) at the municipality of Glorinha, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Amblyomma fuscum conhecida somente no Brasil, tem sido descrita como uma espécie rara de carrapato com relatos de sua ocorrência nas regiões sul e sudeste. Este é um novo registro desta espécie (9 fêmeas) parasitando lagarto (Tupinambis teguixin), no Município de Glorinha, Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. As fêmeas foram depositadas na coleção do Instituto de Pesquisas Veterinárias Desidério Finamor (7 espécimes) e na coleção de Acari do Instituto Butantan, Estado de São Paulo (2 espécimes). O achado confirma o estabelecimento de A. fuscum no Sul do Brasil.<br>Amblyomma fuscum known only from Brazil has been described as a rare tick species with few reports of its occurrence in South and Southeast region. This is a new records this tick species (9 females) parasitizing lizard (Tupinambis teguixin) at the Municipality of Glorinha, State of Rio Grande do Sul. The females were deposited in the tick collection of Veterinary Research Institute Desiderio Finamor (7 specimens), Eldorado do Sul, RS and in the Acari collection from Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, State of São Paulo (2 specimens). The finding confirms establishment de A. fuscum in the South of Brazil