title: Ixodes ventalloi: morphological and molecular support for species integrity.
abstract: Despite their medical and veterinary importance, some tick species are so poorly studied, that their role within pathogen vector transmission cycles is difficult to assess. The tick Ixodes ventalloi is one such species, and its biology and phylogenetic status remain an issue of debate. In the present study, specimens of adult I. ventalloi (n = 65 females; n = 31 males) infesting cats in the Lipari Island (Aeolian archipelago, Sicily, southern Italy) were characterized morphologically and molecularly, the latter based on mitochondrial 16S rRNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) genes. The genetic data and phylogenetic analyses for both mitochondrial genes suggest the existence of two distinct genogroups. The ecological and epidemiological significance of the genetic structure within the I. ventalloi endemic population remains to be determined. The results highlight the need for further analysis of this tick species, including whole mitochondrial genome sequencing and crossbreeding studies, which will be pivotal to complement features of its status as a vector of pathogens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, 70010, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Stefania
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Latrofa
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, 70010, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giannelli
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, 90129, Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Flaminia
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Persichetti
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Polo Universitario Annunziata, 98168, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Pennisi
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Laia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Solano-Gallego
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Polo Universitario Annunziata, 98168, Messina, Italy.
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Brianti
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico della Puglia e della Basilicata, 70017, Putignano, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parisi
authors.affiliation: University of Bristol, School of Biological Sciences, BS8 1TQ, Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wall
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, 70010, Valenzano, Bari, Italy.|Aggeu Magalhães Research Centre, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Recife, Pernambuco, 50670-420, Brazil.
authors.forename: Filipe
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dantas-Torres
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, 70010, Valenzano, Bari, Italy. domenico.otranto@uniba.it.
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Otranto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D002415:Cats; D005260:Female; D050259:Genes, Mitochondrial; D018884:Ixodes / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012802:Sicily; D013045:Species Specificity; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
keywords: 16S rRNA; Cats; Ixodes ventalloi; Morphology; Phylogeny; cox1