Occurrence of Amblyomma rotundatum Koch, 1844 on Epicrates assisi Machado, 1945 in João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil

• Published in: Acta veterinaria Brasílica Vol. 15; no. 4; pp. 335 - 338
• Main Authors: Batista, Aksa Ingrid Vieira, Lucena, Gabriel Vinicius Carvalho de, Oliveira Filho, Kleber Silva de, Nery, Thiago Ferreira Lopes, Martins, Thiago Fernandes, Pereira, Josivania Soares
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 05-10-2021
• ISSN: 1981-5484; 1981-5484
• DOI: 10.21708/avb.2021.15.4.10147

The Caatinga rainbow boa (Epicrates assisi Machado, 1945) is a snake belonging to the order Squamata, family Boidae, and subfamily Boinae. It has a wide distribution in Brazil and can be found in the Caatinga biome. The present study aims to report the first occurrence of Amblyomma rotundatum on E. assisi in the municipality of João Pessoa, Paraíba State (PB). On March 3, 2020, a tick collection was performed on the dorsal region of the head of an E. assisi, which was captive at the Arruda Câmara Zoobotanical Park, João Pessoa-PB. After collecting the tick, it was transferred to a flask containing 70º alcohol and sent to the Laboratory of Animal Parasitology of the Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid (UFERSA) for analysis. Identification was done with the aid of a stereomicroscope using a taxonomic key. The result identified this specimen as a nymph of A. rotundatum. The occurrence of this tick species on E. assisi is reported for the first time and constitutes new data applicable to the ectoparasites that occur in this host species in Brazil.