Ecological aspects of the free-living ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) on animal trails within Atlantic rainforest in south–eastern Brazil

Abstract

In a recent ecological study of the ticks on animal trails within an area of Atlantic rainforest in south-eastern Brazil, Amblyomma aureolatum, A. brasiliense, A. incisum, A. ovale and Haemaphysalis juxtakochi were found questing on the vegetation. Most of the ticks recorded by a small, man-made dam on the forest border were A. dubitatum but a few A. brasiliense and A. cajennense, one A. incisum and one H. juxtakochi were also found. The seasonal activity of the ticks indicated that A. incisum and A. brasiliense had one generation/year. On the animal trails, most tick species and stages quested on the vegetation at a height of 30-40 cm above ground level. The questing larvae and adults of A. incisum tended to be found higher, however, with the greatest numbers recorded 40-50 cm (larvae) or 60-70 cm (adults) above ground level. Most of the adult ticks (81.1%-100%), nymphs (78.6%-100%) and larval clusters (100%) found on a forest trail remained questing at the same location over a 24-h period. Carbon-dioxide traps in the rainforest attracted <50% of the ticks observed questing on the nearby vegetation and, curiously, the CO2 traps set deep in the forest attracted far fewer ticks than similar traps set by the dam. The ecological relationships between the ticks, their hosts and the rainforest environment are discussed.

Ticks on birds caught on the campus of the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

“…The predominance of this ixodid on the campus is also corroborated by Silveira (2010), who correlated greater occurrence of A. cajennense on the UFRRJ campus with environments with high levels of anthropic activities and the presence of horses and capybaras. Previous reports also correlated the high degree of anthropization with the presence of this ixodid (LABRUNA et al, 2001;SZABÓ et al 2009) because this species is less sensitive to changes in the ecological structure of the area, which relates mainly to the availability of wild hosts (CANÇADO et al, 2008). Rojas et al (1999) also reported that A. cajennense was the dominant ixodid in captures performed in special protection areas in the cerrado (savanna-like terrain).…”

Mudanças no Código Florestal e seu impacto na ecologia e diversidade dos mamíferos no Brasil

“…Como os animais domésticos (Pereira et al 2000), animais selvagens (Szabó et al 2007(Szabó et al , 2009) e o próprio homem compartilham inúmeras enfermidades, o acesso livre desses três elementos às APPs facilitará a transmissão de doenças, podendo causar grandes danos à fauna (Szabó et al 2003, Tiemann et al 2005, problemas econômicos para as criações animais (Araújo Júnior et al 2010) e o surgimento de zoonoses emergentes em humanos (Machado et al 2006). …”

Infestação por carrapatos Argasidae e Ixodidae em pequenos mamíferos silvestres da Estação Experimental Rafael Fernandes, Mossoró/RN

“…A ocorrência destes carrapatos em animais silvestres tem sido reportada nos diferentes biomas brasileiros (Aragão 1936, Labruna et al 2005, Szabó et al 2009), porém na Caatinga, uma região de grande diversidade de fauna e flora, a fauna de carrapatos tem sido pouco estudada.…”