Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) on swifts (Apodiformes: Apodidae) in Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil.
Brazil harbors five species of Cypseloidinae swifts. Those from Streptoprocne and Cypseloides genera have a very distinct ecology. They shelter at night and build nests in moist cliffs by waterfalls. Information about tick infestation of these birds is virtually non-existent and restricted to the description of a new species, Ixodes paranaensis, in Streptoprocne biscutata in Paraná State and another record of this species in Streptoprocne zonaris in Minas Gerais State. We herein report tick infestation of swifts at eight waterfalls in the Cerrado biome of Minas Gerais State, southeastern Brazil. Swifts were captured during six campaigns from November 2008 to April 2013. Overall, 584 swifts were captured (527 C. senex, four C. fumigatus and 53 S. zonaris). Four birds were tick infested (prevalence of 0.7 %). Three individuals of C. senex hosted one tick each; a nymph of I. paranaensis, a female of I. paranaensis and a nymph of Amblyomma cajennense. One S. zonaris hosted an I. paranaensis nymph and an Ornithodoros sp. larva (Argasidae).
Laboratório de Ixodologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Avenida Amazonas s/n, Bloco 6T, sala 09, Campus Umuarama, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, 38400-902, Brazil, graziepascoli@gmail.com.
Graziela
G
Tolesano-Pascoli
Frederico Innecco
FI
Garcia
Carla Raphaela Gonzaga
CR
Gomes
Kátia Cristina
KC
Diniz
Valeria Castilho
VC
Onofrio
José Manuel
JM
Venzal
Matias Pablo Juan
MP
Szabó
D000818:Animals; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D001717:Birds; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D026863:Ixodidae / Q000145:classification*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*