title: Ornithodoros faccinii n. sp. (Acari: Ixodida: Argasidae) parasitizing the frog Thoropa miliaris (Amphibia: Anura: Cycloramphidae) in Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Most argasid ticks from the Neotropical region are parasites of mammals and birds, with a few records from reptiles. Many species of the genus Ornithodoros are known only through larval descriptions, and their chaetotaxy and morphological characteristics have been used to separate the taxa. In the present study, we describe the larva and the nymph of first instar of a new species of the genus Ornithodoros that was collected from frogs of the species Thoropa miliaris.
  
  
  METHODS
  Larvae of Ornithodoros were collected from frogs of the species T. miliaris at waterfalls in the state of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil. The larval and nymphal description was based on optical and scanning electron microscopy. Molecular analysis using the argasid 16S rRNA sequences available in GenBank was also conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ornithodoros faccinii sp. n. is closely related to Ornithodoros clarki Jones & Clifford, Ornithodoros marinkellei Kohls, Clifford & Jones, Ornithodoros capensis Neumann and Ornithodoros sawaii Kitaoka & Susuki. However, the larval morphology of the new species is unique. The mitochondrial 16S rDNA partial sequence of O. faccinii generated in the present study was deposited in GenBank under the number KP861242.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The larvae collected from Thoropa miliaris are a new species, Ornithodoros faccinii n. sp. This is the first report of argasid ticks on frogs in Brazil, the second on frogs and the third on Amphibia in the Neotropical region.
authors.affiliation: Special Laboratory of Zoological Collection, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. darci.battesti@butantan.gov.br.
authors.forename: Darci Moraes
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Barros-Battesti
authors.affiliation: Special Laboratory of Zoological Collection, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. gabriel.landulfo@butantan.gov.br.|Department of Animal Parasitology, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, RJ, Brazil. gabriel.landulfo@butantan.gov.br.
authors.forename: Gabriel Alves
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Landulfo
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Parasitology, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, RJ, Brazil. hermesluz@globomail.com.
authors.forename: Hermes Ribeiro
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Luz
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. amarcili@usp.br.|Postgraduate Course in Veterinary Medicine, University of Santo Amaro, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. amarcili@usp.br.|Center for Natural Sciences and Humanities, Federal University of ABC, São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil. amarcili@usp.br.
authors.forename: Arlei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marcili
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Course in Veterinary Medicine, University of Santo Amaro, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. valeria.onofrio@butantan.gov.br.|Laboratory of Parasitology, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. valeria.onofrio@butantan.gov.br.
authors.forename: Valeria Castilho
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Onofrio
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Parasitology, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, RJ, Brazil. famadas_km@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Kátia Maria
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Famadas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D007814:Larva; D009758:Nymph; D026861:Ornithodoros / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D011898:Ranidae / Q000469:parasitology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000662:veterinary; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S