title: Description of a new species of bat-associated argasid tick (Acari: Argasidae) from Brazil.
abstract: A new species of argasid tick (Acari: Argasidae) is described from immature and adult specimens collected from several localities in Brazil. A complete morphological account is provided for all postembryonic life stages, i.e., larva, nymph, female, and male. Ornithodoros cavernicolous n. sp. is the 113(th) in the genus. Morphologically, the new species shares common features, e.g., presence of well-developed cheeks and legs with micromammillate cuticle, with other bat-associated argasid ticks included in the subgenus Alectorobius. In particular, the new species is morphologically related to Ornithodoros azteci Matheson, with which it forms a species group. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences supports the placement of the new species within a large clade that includes other New World bat-associated argasids. However, the new species seems to represent an independent lineage within the genus Ornithodoros.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica e Zootecnia, Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Bari, Bari, Italy. filipe.vet@globo.com
authors.forename: Filipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dantas-Torres
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Venzal
authors.forename: Leopoldo F O
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Bernardi
authors.forename: Rodrigo L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Valéria C
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Onofrio
authors.forename: Arlei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marcili
authors.forename: Sergio E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Bermúdez
authors.forename: Alberto F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Darci M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Barros-Battesti
authors.forename: Marcelo B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Labruna
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001938:Brazil; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000469:parasitology*; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning / Q000662:veterinary; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D026861:Ornithodoros / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment / Q000662:veterinary; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S