Premium
Ecology and genetic variation of A mblyomma tonelliae in A rgentina
Author(s) -
TARRAGONA E. L.,
MANGOLD A. J.,
MASTROPAOLO M.,
GUGLIELMONE A. A.,
NAVA S.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
medical and veterinary entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2915
pISSN - 0269-283X
DOI - 10.1111/mve.12110
Subject(s) - biology , nymph , ecology , abundance (ecology) , larva , zoology , genetic diversity , diapause , genetic variation , tick , population , biochemistry , demography , sociology , gene
The ecology of Amblyomma tonelliae (Ixodida: I xodidae), including its seasonal distribution and the development periods of each stage, was investigated during a study carried out over two consecutive years in northwestern A rgentina. In addition, the genetic variation of this tick was studied through analyses of 16S rDNA sequences. Amblyomma tonelliae has a 1‐year lifecycle characterized by a long pre‐moult period in larvae with no development of morphogenetic diapause. Larvae peak in abundance during late autumn and early winter; nymphs peak in abundance in spring, and adults do so from late spring to early summer. Amblyomma tonelliae shows a marked ecological preference for the driest areas of the C haco ecoregion. In analyses of 16S rDNA sequences in genes from different populations of A. tonelliae , values for nucleotide diversity and the average number of nucleotide differences showed genetic diversity within this species to be low. No significant differences were found in comparisons among populations.