Contribution to the knowledge of Neotrichodectes (Nasuicola) pallidus (Piaget, 1880) (Phthiraptera: Trichodectidae)

Author(s)

Perles, Livia ; Bassini-Silva, Ricardo ; Jacinavicius, Fernando Castro ; Barreto, Wanessa Teixeira Gomes ; de Macedo, Gabriel Carvalho ; Martins, Filipe Santos ; Herrera, Heitor Miraglia ; Machado, Rosangela Zacarias ; Barros-Battesti, Darci Moraes ; Andre, Marcos Rogerio

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: VETERINARY PARASITOLOGY- REGIONAL STUDIES AND REPORTS; v. 41, p. 6-pg., 2023-06-01.

Abstract

The species in the genus Neotrichodectes (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera) infest carnivores. Neotrichodectes (Nasuicola) pallidus (Piaget, 1880), which has been primarily found parasitizing Procyonidae mammals, has been recorded in ring-tailed coatis (Nasua nasua) in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais, Pernambuco, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul and Pernambuco. We report a new record of N. pallidus in coatis in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, central-western Brazil, using morphological (Light and Scanning Electronic Microscopy) and molecular approaches (PCR, sequencing and phylogenetic analysis). Coatis were sampled in two peri-urban areas of Campo Grande city, Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil, between March 2018 and March 2019, as well as in November 2021. Lice were collected and examined under light and Scanning Electron Microscopy. DNA was also extracted from nymphs and adults and submitted to PCR assays based on the 18S rRNA and cox-1 genes for molecular characterization. One hundred and one coatis were sampled from 2018 to 2019 and 20 coatis in 2021 [when the intensity of infestation (II) was not accessed]. Twenty-six coatis (26/101-25.7%) were infested with at least one louse, with a total of 59 lice collected in 2018-2019. The II ranged from one to seven lice (mean 2.2 & PLUSMN; SD 1.7). The louse species was confirmed based on the following morphological characteristics: female gonapophyses rounded with the setae along anterior region but not in the medial margin; the male genitalia with a parameral arch not extending beyond the endometrial plate. The same ornamentation was observed on the abdomen of the females, males, and nymphs. The nymphs and the eggs were described in detail for the first time. The obtained 18S rRNA and cox1 sequences from N. pallidus clustered in a clade with other sequences of Ischnocera species. In the present study, a new record of the louse N. pallidus in central-western Brazil was provided, along with new insights into the morphological features of this species, with the first morphology contribution of nymphal and eggs stages. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 19/19853-0 - Chigger mites (Acari: Trombiculidae and Leeuwenhoekiidae) parasites of vertebrates: morphological studies and investigation of the presence of Rickettsia spp
• Grantee: Fernando de Castro Jacinavicius
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 17/01416-7 - Chigger mites from Brazilian birds: morphological studies and investigation of the presence of pathogens
• Grantee: Ricardo Bassini Silva
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 20/12037-0 - Diversity of piroplasmids in wild birds and mammals from Brazil
• Grantee: Marcos Rogério André
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 20/11755-6 - Taxonomy and microbiome of mites that parasitize bats in Brazil: study of the presence of pathogens and symbiotic commensal communities in these ectoparasites
• Grantee: Ricardo Bassini Silva
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 18/24667-8 - Catalogue of types of the family Trombiculidae sensu lato (Acari: Trombidiformes) deposited in the national Chigger collection of the USNM and use of LT-SEM technique for a better interpretation of the morphological characters
• Grantee: Ricardo Bassini Silva
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 19/15150-4 - Genetic diversity of vector-borne agents in coatis (Nasua nasua) in a periurban region of Central-Western Brazil
• Grantee: Lívia Perles
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate