Argasid Ticks of Palearctic Bats: Distribution, Host Selection, and Zoonotic Importance

The soft ticks (Ixodida: Argasidae) are ectoparasites of terrestrial vertebrates with a wide geographic distribution, occurring on all continents. These ticks are obligate blood-feeders, most of them show high degrees of host-specialization and several species in arid and tropical regions are important parasites of livestock and men. Species commonly occurring on domestic animals and man are generally well-known, with many studies focusing on their ecology, distribution or vectorial role. However, wildlife-specialist soft ticks are less studied. Nearly half of all soft tick species are bat specialists, with five species (Carios vespertilionis, Chiropterargas boueti, Chiropterargas confusus, Reticulinasus salahi, and Secretargas transgariepinus) occurring in the Western Palearctic. There is no comprehensive study on the distribution, hosts or pathogens in these soft ticks, although most species were shown to carry several viral, bacterial, or protozoan pathogens and also to occasionally infest humans. Based on a literature survey and 1,120 distinct georeferenced records, we present here the geographical range, host selection and vectorial potential for bat-specialist soft ticks occurring in the Western Palearctic (chiefly Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East). Carios vespertilionis shows the largest distribution range and was found on most host species, being ubiquitous wherever crevice-roosting bats occur. All the other species were located only in areas with Mediterranean climate, with Ch. boueti, Chiropteraragas confusus, and R. salahi are missing entirely from Europe. These three species have a host spectrum of bats roosting primarily in caves, while S. transgariepinus and Ca. vespertilionis is feeding primarily on crevice-roosting bat species. All but one of these soft tick species are known to feed on humans and may be vectors of important disease agents (Rickettsia spp., Borrelia spp., Bartonella spp., Ehrlichia spp., Babesia spp., several nairo-, and flaviviruses). As several crevice-roosting bat species show a continuous adaptation to human-altered areas, with certain species becoming common city-dwellers in the Western Palearctic, the study of bat specialist soft ticks is also important from an epidemiologic point of view.

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Role of Zoo-Housed Animals in the Ecology of Ticks and Tick-Borne Pathogens—A Review

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens10020210 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 210

Author(s):

Johana Hrnková ◽

Irena Schneiderová ◽

Marina Golovchenko ◽

Libor Grubhoffer ◽

Natalie Rudenko ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tick Species ◽

Terrestrial Vertebrates ◽

Exotic Animals ◽

Host Pathogen ◽

Medical Importance ◽

Ecology Of Ticks ◽

Definite Role

Ticks are ubiquitous ectoparasites, feeding on representatives of all classes of terrestrial vertebrates and transmitting numerous pathogens of high human and veterinary medical importance. Exotic animals kept in zoological gardens, ranches, wildlife parks or farms may play an important role in the ecology of ticks and tick-borne pathogens (TBPs), as they may serve as hosts for local tick species. Moreover, they can develop diseases of varying severity after being infected by TBPs, and theoretically, can thus serve as reservoirs, thereby further propagating TBPs in local ecosystems. The definite role of these animals in the tick–host-pathogen network remains poorly investigated. This review provides a summary of the information currently available regarding ticks and TBPs in connection to captive local and exotic wildlife, with an emphasis on zoo-housed species.

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Some observations on the sero-prevalence of heartwater and tick infestation in Zambian goats : research communication

Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research ◽

10.4102/ojvr.v71i2.279 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 71 (2) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

B. Ahmadu ◽

C.E.A. Lovelace ◽

S. Mahan

Keyword(s):

Tick Species ◽

Tick Infestation ◽

Amblyomma Variegatum ◽

Arid Areas ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Ehrlichia Ruminantium ◽

Antigen Elisa ◽

Elisa Technique ◽

Species Being ◽

Semi Arid

A survey was carried out to define the distribution of heartwater in goats that originated from six districts in communal grazing semi-arid areas of Zambia. A total of 181 samples (40.1 %) out of 451 serum samples from adult goats were positive for Ehrlichia ruminantium antibodies after screening using indirect MAP-1B antigen ELISA technique with statistically significant differences (P < 0.01) between the six districts. Out of 1 036 adult goats examined for tick infestation, 105 were infested by ticks, with Amblyomma species being the most dominant tick encountered. Amblyomma variegatum, which is the vector for heartwater transmission in Zambia constituted 42.4 % of the tick species, identified. The overall tick infestation rate was 10 % while the tick:goat ratio was 2.1:1. Amblyomma variegatum appears to be widespread throughout the study area, as are antibodies to E. ruminantium.

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Amphibians in Zootaxa: 20 years documenting the global diversity of frogs, salamanders, and caecilians

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4979.1.9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4979 (1) ◽

pp. 57-69

Author(s):

MAURICIO RIVERA-CORREA ◽

DIEGO BALDO ◽

FLORENCIA VERA CANDIOTI ◽

VICTOR GOYANNES DILL ORRICO ◽

DAVID C. BLACKBURN ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South America ◽

Systematic Reviews ◽

Evaluation Process ◽

Biodiversity Loss ◽

Tropical Regions ◽

Terrestrial Vertebrates ◽

Global Diversity ◽

Full Color ◽

Urgent Task ◽

Species Descriptions

Zootaxa is a mega-journal that since its inception, 20 years ago, has contributed to the documentation of the planet’s biodiversity. Its role concerning terrestrial vertebrates has been crucial especially for amphibians, which are the most threatened class of vertebrates. As current editors of the Amphibia section, we reviewed the state of knowledge of taxonomic publications on amphibians over the last two decades (from 2001 to 2020). Our review reveals that 2,533 frogs, 259 salamanders, and 55 caecilians have been named in these 20 years, mainly in the tropical regions of South America, Asia, and Africa. More than half (57%) of these species descriptions were published in only 10 journals. At least 827 species of the new amphibians (29% of the total) were described in Zootaxa. This mega-journal has served also as a place of publication for monographs and systematic reviews, in addition to short articles documenting the vocalizations of anurans and the morphology of embryos and larvae. Its efficient evaluation process, the freedom of manuscript length, including full-color figures, and free of cost for the authors, has made Zootaxa a favorite for amphibian researchers. In an era of accelerating rates of biodiversity loss, documenting, describing, naming, and proposing evolutionary scenarios for species is, more than ever, an urgent task.

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Miliusa sahyadrica, a new species of Annonaceae from the Western Ghats, India

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.284.3.6 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 284 (3) ◽

pp. 211 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

GOPALAPRABHU RAJKUMAR ◽

MOHAN ALISTER ◽

AHAMMED NAZARUDEEN ◽

ALAGRAMAM GOVINDASAMY PANDURANGAN

Keyword(s):

Papua New Guinea ◽

Western Ghats ◽

Point Of View ◽

Western Ghats Of India ◽

The Family ◽

Centres Of Diversity ◽

Molecular Phylogenetic ◽

Species Being ◽

The Western Ghats ◽

A New Species

Miliusa Leschenault ex A. de Candolle (1832: 213) is a Paleotropical genus in the family Annonaceae with about 60 species distributed mostly to the Austral-Asiatic region, ranging from India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Malay Islands, Philippines, Papua New Guinea to Australia and New Zealand (Mols & Keßler 2003,Chaowasku & Keßler 2013, Chaowasku et al. 2013). According to molecular phylogenetic analysis, the genus is placed in subfamily Malmeoideae, tribe Miliuseae (Chatrou et al. 2012). Thailand and India are considered as the centres of diversity for Miliusa with more than twenty species each (Mols & Keßler 2003, Chaowasku & Keßler 2013, Chaowasku et al. 2013, Turner 2015). A total of 23 species and one variety of the genus are so far recorded from India (Mitra 1993, Karthikeyan et al. 2009, Turner 2015, Page & Nerlekar 2016, Page et al. 2016, Josekutty et al. 2016, Karuppusamy & Richard 2016). Among these, 15 species and one variety are reported from the Western Ghats of India. Except for four species, namely M. indica Leschenault ex A. de Candolle (1832: 213), M. horsfieldii (Bennett 1840: 165) Pierre (1881: 38), M. tomentosa (Roxburgh: 1795: 31. t. 35.) Sinclair (1955: 378) and M. velutina (Dunal) Hooker & Thomson (1855: 151), all are endemic to that region (Nayar et al. 2014). As a whole, the genus is phytogeographically significant to Western Ghats with 71% of the species being endemics, which makes the genus more important from conservation point of view.

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Endangered species and endangered knowledge

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.2201.1.5 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 2201 (1) ◽

pp. 26-29 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

ALAIN DUBOIS

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Endangered Species ◽

Limited Range ◽

Chief Editor ◽

Small Population ◽

Point Of View ◽

New Taxon ◽

Live Specimen ◽

Species Being ◽

A New Species

The recent discovery of a new species of land iguana in the Galapagos (Tzika et al. 2008; Gentile et al. 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009) is indeed an exciting novelty, of great interest to all zoologists and evolutionary biologists. This species being apparently represented only by a very small population with a very limited range, it was described as a new taxon following an unusual procedure: no fixed specimen(s) (holotype or syntypes) was deposited in a permanent collection, but a live specimen, in which a transponder had been inserted and which then had been released, was designated as holotype. As analysed in detail by Dubois & Nemésio (2007), because of the unclear wording of Art. 16.4.2 of the Code, whether such a nomen is nomenclaturally available is open to question, and pending a clarification of the published Rules of the Code, will remain so. In this context, some comments on the paper by Gentile & Smell (2009), from a taxonomic and nomenclatural point of view, are in order. I thank Zhi-Qiang Zhang, Chief Editor of Zootaxa, for inviting me to contribute to this discussion.

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Rickettsiae in the common pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) and the bat soft tick Argas vespertilionis (Ixodida: Argasidae)

Parasites & Vectors ◽

10.1186/s13071-020-3885-x ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Shuo Zhao ◽

Meihua Yang ◽

Gang Liu ◽

Sándor Hornok ◽

Shanshan Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tick Species ◽

Simultaneous Occurrence ◽

Molecular Evidence ◽

Soft Tick ◽

Rickettsia Parkeri ◽

Molecular Analyses ◽

Pipistrellus Pipistrellus ◽

Vector Borne ◽

The Common ◽

First Time

Abstract Background Increasing molecular evidence supports that bats and/or their ectoparasites may harbor vector-borne bacteria, such as bartonellae and borreliae. However, the simultaneous occurrence of rickettsiae in bats and bat ticks has been poorly studied. Methods In this study, 54 bat carcasses and their infesting soft ticks (n = 67) were collected in Shihezi City, northwestern China. The heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, small intestine and large intestine of bats were dissected, followed by DNA extraction. Soft ticks were identified both morphologically and molecularly. All samples were examined for the presence of rickettsiae by amplifying four genetic markers (17-kDa, gltA, ompA and ompB). Results All bats were identified as Pipistrellus pipistrellus, and their ticks as Argas vespertilionis. Molecular analyses showed that DNA of Rickettsia parkeri, R. lusitaniae, R. slovaca and R. raoultii was present in bat organs/tissues. In addition, nine of the 67 bat soft ticks (13.43%) were positive for R. raoultii (n = 5) and R. rickettsii (n = 4). In the phylogenetic analysis, these bat-associated rickettsiae clustered together with conspecific sequences reported from other host and tick species, confirming the above results. Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, DNA of R. parkeri, R. slovaca and R. raoultii was detected for the first time in bat organs/tissues. This is also the first molecular evidence for the presence of R. raoultii and R. rickettsii in bat ticks. To our knowledge, R. parkeri was not known to occur in Asia. Our results highlight the need to assess rickettsial agents in a broader range of bat species and associated tick species.

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Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of the Genus Tovomita

Natural Product Communications ◽

10.1177/1934578x1501000676 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 10 (6) ◽

pp. 1934578X1501000

Author(s):

Francesco Epifano ◽

Maria Carmela Specchiulli ◽

Vito Alessandro Taddeo ◽

Serena Fiorito ◽

Salvatore Genovese

Keyword(s):

South America ◽

Current Literature ◽

Point Of View ◽

Tropical Regions ◽

The Past ◽

Natural Remedies

The genus Tovomita (Fam. Clusiaceae) comprises 45 species mainly found in tropical regions of Central and South America. Most of the species of the title genus have been used for centuries as natural remedies. Phytochemicals isolated from Tovomita spp. include prenylated and unprenylated benzophenones and xanthones. The aim of this review is to examine in detail from a phytochemical and pharmacological point of view what is reported in the past and current literature about the properties of phytopreparations and individual active principles obtained from plants belonging to the Tovomita genus.

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A new Rickettsia honei-related genotype, two novel soft tick haplotypes and first records of three mite species associated with bats in Pakistan

Systematic and Applied Acarology ◽

10.11158/saa.24.11.6 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 24 (11) ◽

pp. 2106-2118 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Hamid Ullah ◽

Jenő Kontschán ◽

Nóra Takács ◽

Michiel Wijnveld ◽

Anna-margarita Schötta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

16S Rrna ◽

Tick Species ◽

Mite Species ◽

16S Rrna Genes ◽

Rrna Genes ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Spotted Fever Group ◽

Soft Tick ◽

Rickettsia Species ◽

Southern Asia

Bats are well adapted to inhabit human settlements and are suitable reservoirs of a high number of vector-borne pathogens with veterinary-medical importance. Owing to these eco-epidemiological traits, the importance of studying bat ectoparasites is increasingly recognized. However, relevant molecular-phylogenetic data are missing from several countries of southern Asia, including Pakistan. In this study 11 ectoparasites, collected from bats in northern Pakistan, were analyzed morphologically and/or molecularly, phylogenetically from a taxonomic point of view. In addition, soft ticks were screened for pathogen DNA. Three mesostigmatid mite species were identified: Steatonyssus occidentalis evansi Micherdziński, 1980 and Ancystropus taprobanius Turk, 1950 from Rousettus leschenaultii (Desmarest 1820) and two specimens of Spinturnix americanus (Banks 1902) from Pipistrellus cf. javanicus (Gray 1838). Six soft tick (Carios vespertilionis Latreille, 1802) larvae were also removed from Scotophilus kuhlii Leach, 1821. Morpho-metric comparison revealed minor differences in comparison with C. vespertilionis larvae from Europe (i.e., narrower scutum and longer 4th posterolateral setae, while scutal length and shape index were not significantly different in this context). When molecularly analyzed, C. vespertilionis larvae from Pakistan showed the highest, 94.1% cox1 sequence identity with a sample from Kenya, while in their 16S rRNA gene these had the highest, 96.2–96.4% identity with samples from Europe and central Asia (northwestern China). These findings were confirmed in phylogenetic analyses. A further soft tick larva, collected from R. leschenaultii and therefore provisionally called Argas sp. "rousetti", yielded sequences with only 86.2% and 91% similarities in its cox1 and 16S rRNA genes, respectively, to the genetically closest species, A. boueti. Both Argas species belonged to the phylogenetic group of the subgenus Chiropterargas. Molecular screening of two C. vespertilionis larvae for a broad range of tick-borne pathogens yielded negative results. However, the larva of Argas sp. "rousetti" showed the presence of a spotted fever group (SFG) Rickettsia sp., which (based on four genetic markers) was closely related to two Rickettsia species reported from southeastern Asia (i.e., R. honei and Rickettsia sp. IG-1), but differed more significantly from other rickettsiae. In conclusion, the three mite species identified here are new records for their host species and for Pakistan. The present findings support that despite the observed genetic differences, C. vespertilionis in southern Asia (Pakistan) and Europe belong to the same species and share common ancestry with C. vespertilionis in east Africa (Kenya). The soft tick species, Argas sp. "rousetti" is most likely a not yet described species within the subgenus Chiropterargas Hoogstraal, 1955, because it was clearly separated from A. boueti Roubaud & Colas-Belcour, 1933 and A. confusus Hoogstraal, 1955 in the phylogenetic analysis (also taking into account that other known species of the subgenus are unlikely to occur in Pakistan). The novel Rickettsia genotype from Argas sp. "rousetti", represents the first molecular identification of a Rickettsia sp. phylogenetically close to R. honei, and the first Rickettsia sp. from any bat-associated soft tick species in southern Asia.

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THE FEATURES OF THE GEOLOGICAL STRUCTURE AND SEDIMENTATION OF THE EARLY CRETACEOUS SITE OF THE TERRESTRIAL VERTEBRATES OF SHESTAKOVO (KEMEROVO REGION, RUSSIA)

Proceedings of higher educational establishments Geology and Exploration ◽

10.32454/0016-7762-2018-2-13-23 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 13-23

Author(s):

A. V. Podlesnov ◽

B. I. Morkovin ◽

E. N. Maschenko

Keyword(s):

Early Cretaceous ◽

Western Siberia ◽

Geological Structure ◽

Point Of View ◽

Faunal Composition ◽

Terrestrial Vertebrates ◽

Coastal Marine ◽

Geological Section ◽

The Given

A new data on the geological structure, conditions of formation and faunal composition of the Early Cretaceous site of the terrestrial vertebrates by Shestakovo village (Kemerovo Region, Western Siberia) has been presented.The consolidated geological section has been constructed along the line Shestakovo-1 — Shestakovo-4 — Shestakovo-3 in which five lithologic members have been identified. A distribution of the vertebrates fauna taxons has been carried out along the selected lithologic members composing the Shestakovo series of the Ilek formation. A new data obtained during fieldwork in 2017 has made it possible to distinguish two main bony levels (lithologic members 3 and 5), which contain whole skeletons of reptiles. Lithofacies analysis has shown that the formation of the sites occurred under the conditions of the fluviolacustrine plain, where the channel, delta and floodplain facies were replaced by lake and lake-marshy facies, forming a series of sedimentation cycles. The latter are the evidence of the increase in the aridization of the climate upwards along the section. The given data calls into question previously expressed point of view about the coastal-marine or lagoon genesis of the Shestakovo series.

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