New records of fleas and ticks (Siphonaptera and Ixodida) parasitizing wild mammals in Mossoró Municipality, Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil.

Abstract

The Caatinga is a Brazilian biome with limited studies on its wild mammal fauna, including the ectoparasitic relationships in these animals. This study aims to report the findings of fleas and ticks infesting wild animals rescued in the municipality of Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte State (RN), Brazil, and treated at the Veterinary Hospital of the Universidade Federal Rural do Semi-Árido (HOVET-UFERSA). During the clinical assessments and physical examinations of the host animals (one male Cerdocyon thous L.; two females of Tamandua tetradactyla L.; one male Leopardus tigrinus Schreber; and one male Conepatus semistriatus Boddaert), fleas and ticks were collected. These ectoparasites were removed mechanically and sent to the Animal Parasitology Laboratory at UFERSA for identification. Identification was carried out based on morphology, with the aid of specific literature, stereomicroscopy, and light optical microscopy. From C. thous, two males of Amblyomma parvum Aragão and four female Pulex irritans (L.) fleas were recovered. From the adult female T. tetradactyla, one male of Rhipicephalus linnaei (Audouin), eight nymphs, and two males of Amblyomma auricularium (Conil) were collected. From the juvenile female T. tetradactyla, three nymphs of A. parvum and six female fleas of the species Tunga penetrans (L.) were recovered. From the male L. tigrinus, five females and one male flea of the species Ctenocephalides felis (Bouche) were collected. Finally, from the male C. semistriatus, two nymphs, 19 males, and six females of A. auricularium were recovered. This study contributes to expanding the knowledge of host-parasite relationships in free-living mammals in the Caatinga biome, in western Rio Grande do Norte.