A Collection of Ticks (Ixodidae) from Wild Birds in Uruguay

Thirty nine wild birds from seven families (Alcedinidae, Emberizidae, Furnariidae, Parulidae, Trochilidae, Turdidae and Tyrannidae) were caught from 4 to 7 of February, 2004 at Rincón da Vassoura (31°15′ S 56°03′ W) Department of Tacuarembó, Uruguay. Ninety one nymphs and forty one larvae of Ixodidae were recovered from them. The majority of ticks were conventionally identified but 16S mitochondrial rDNA sequences were obtained for larvae and nymphs of Amblyomma with uncertain specific status to be compared with sequences of species from this genus. The 16S rDNA of Haemaphysalis juxtakochi Cooley was also obtained. Most ticks, 1 nymph of Amblyomma longirostre (Koch), 5 larvae of Amblyomma aureolatum (Pallas) and 3 nymphs of Amblyomma spp., 10 nymphs and 71 larvae of H. juxtakochi, 23 nymphs and 12 larvae of Ixodes pararicinus Keirans and Clifford, were found on the 5 Turdus albicollis Vieillot and 6 Turdus rufiventris Vieillot (Turdidae) caught. One nymph of A. longirostre and 2 nymphs of I. pararicinus were collected from the only Syndactyla rufosuperciliata (Lafresnaye) (Furnariidae) captured; 1 larva of I. pararicinus was collected on one of two Basileuterus leucoblepharus (Vieillot) (Parulidae) trapped and 1 nymph of A. longirostre was found on one of nine Elaenia parvirostris Pelzeln (Tyrannidae) captured. All these findings constitute new host records with the exception of I. pararicinus on S. rufosuperciliata, and stress the importance of Turdus as hosts for I. pararicinus, H. juxtakochi and A. aureolatum. Nymphs of H. juxtakochi and Amblyomma spp. were also found on man and vegetation.