Morphological and molecular identification of the hard ticks parasitizing Tremarctos ornatus (Carnivora: Ursidae) from paramo of Ecuador

Year 2023, Volume: 5 Issue: 2, 45 - 51, 31.07.2023

Sandra Enríquez , María L. Félix Armando Castellanos Sergio Bermudez Castıllero , José M. Venzal

https://doi.org/10.47121/acarolstud.1261833

Cited By: 2

Abstract

The Andean bear or spectacled bear, Tremarctos ornatus (Cuvier), inhabits the Andes and is considered an endangered species due to anthropogenic factors. The aim of this study was to identify the tick species parasitizing the Andean bears in the evergreen shrubland and paramo grassland ecosystem in the Andes Mountain Range of Ecuador. Twenty-six ticks were removed from five Andean bears and morphologically identified as Amblyomma multipunctum Neumann, Ixodes boliviensis Neumann and Ixodes montoyanus Cooley. One specimen of each species was also molecularly analyzed and confirmed by BLAST. This study confirms the presence of I. boliviensis parasitizing T. ornatus and adds new records of A. multipunctum and I. montoyanus in its distribution. The parasite-host relationships are new in all cases for Ecuador.

Keywords

Ixodidae, Amblyomma, Ixodes, Andean bear, paramo, Ecuador

Supporting Institution

Andean Bear Foundation (ABF) and ZooConservation Outreach Group, USA funds supported the fieldwork.

Thanks

To Melchor Ascanta, Rodrigo Ascanta, David Jackson, Alandy Torres, Flavio Torres, Daniel Hilliard of ZCOG, Jorge Brito of INABIO, Edgar Martínez, and Raúl Martínez for their support in the capture, management, and release of the captured Andean Bears. To The Andean Bear Foundation (ABF), for working to conserve the Spectacled/Andean Bear. To Zoo Conservation Outreach Group (ZCOG) for assisting Latin American wildlife and habitat conservation efforts. To the Ministerio del Ambiente y Agua del Ecuador for supporting research projects via Collection Permits.

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