Systematic & Applied Acarology (2010) 15, 21–30.
21 © 2010 Systematic & Applied Acarology Society
ISSN 1362-1971
First record of Amblyomma longirostre (Koch, 1844) (Acari: Ixodidae)
from Peru, with a review of this tick’s host relationships
SANTIAGO NAVA
1
, PAÚL M. VELAZCO
2
& ALBERTO A. GUGLIELMONE
1
1
Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, CC 22, CP 2300 Rafaela, Santa Fe, Argentina
E-mails: snava@rafaela.inta.gov.ar, aguglielmone@rafaela.com.ar
2
Division of Mammals, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, U.S.A.
E-mail: pvelazco@fieldmuseum.org
Abstract
Four males of Amblyomma longirostre (Acari: Ixodidae) were collected on the rodent Coendou bicolor
(Erethizontidae) at Área de Conservación Municipal Mishquiyacu Rumiyacu-Almendra (06°04'30.2"S,
76°58'33.5"W), Orquidiario Waqanki, Province of Moyabamba, Department of San Martín, Peru. This is the
first Peruvian record of A. longirostre, which in South America has previously been reported from Argentina,
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela. Mammals and birds of various
orders have been cited as hosts for adults of A. longirostre, but most records are from erethizontid rodents of the
genera Coendou, Chaetomys and Sphiggurus. Birds appear to be the principal hosts for immature stages,
although most records are from members of the order Passeriformes. Amblyomma longirostre appears not to be
a threat to domestic vertebrates, from which it has seldom been reported, and its role as a vector of human
rickettsioses is undetermined.
Key words: Amblyomma longirostre, ticks, hosts, Coendou bicolor, Peru
Introduction
Amblyomma longirostre (Koch, 1844) is a hard tick species with a Neotropical distribution, ranging
from southern Mexico to Argentina and Uruguay (Guglielmone et al. 2003; Venzal et al. 2003).
Although immature stages have also been found in the Nearctic on migratory birds (Fairchild et al.
1966; Scott et al. 2001), A. longirostre is not established in that biogeographic region, probably due
to adverse environmental conditions or the absence of appropriate hosts for adults (Guglielmone et
al. 2003; Labruna et al. 2007). Rodents of the family Erethizontidae and birds have been recorded
as the principal hosts for adults and immature stages, respectively (Fairchild et al. 1966; Jones et al.
1972; Guglielmone et al. 2003; Labruna et al. 2007). Herein we present the first record of A.
longirostre from Peru, with a review of the host relationships of both immature and adult stages.
Materials and methods
Four male ticks of the genus Amblyomma were collected by one of us (PMV) on Coendou bicolor
(Rodentia: Erethizontidae: Erethizontinae) at Área de Conservación Municipal Mishquiyacu
Rumiyacu-Almendra (06°04'30.2"S, 76°58'33.5"W), Orquidiario Waqanki, Province of
Moyabamba, Department of San Martín, Peru, altitude 970 m. The ticks were determined using the
keys and descriptions of Jones et al. (1972), Barros-Battesti et al. (2006) and Labruna et al. (2009),