Abstract
The Boa constrictor is one of the world's largest vertebrate carnivores and is often found in urban areas in the city of Manaus, Brazil. The morphological identification of ticks collected from 27 snakes indicated the occurrence of Amblyomma dissimile Koch 1844 on all individuals sampled. In contrast, Amblyomma rotundatum Koch was found on only two snakes. An analysis of the 16S rRNA molecular marker confirmed the morphological identification of these ectoparasites.
Highlights
The Boa constrictor is one of the largest snakes in the world and can reach a total length of over four meters
The present study identifies tick species parasitizing Boa constrictor in urban areas of the city of Manaus, AM, with the aid of morphological and molecular tools
The morphological identification of the ticks collected from 27 Boa constrictor revealed the occurrence of A. dissimile Koch, 1844 on all the sampled individuals, whereas A. rotundatum Koch, 1844 was found on only two of these snakes
Summary
The Boa constrictor is one of the largest snakes in the world and can reach a total length of over four meters. This predator with terrestrial and semi-arboreal habits consumes lizards, birds and mammals (CUNHA & NASCIMENTO, 1978; HENDERSON et al, 1995; BERNARDE, 2004; QUICK et al, 2005; PIZZATTO & MARQUES, 2007; PIZZATTO et al, 2009). Specimens are often caught in the city of Manaus, AM (central Brazilian Amazon), which has a population of almost two million (IBGE, 2012). The present study identifies tick species parasitizing Boa constrictor in urban areas of the city of Manaus, AM, with the aid of morphological and molecular tools
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