TY - JOUR
T1 - Occurrence of Ixodiphagus hookeri (Hymenoptera Encyrtidae) in Ixodes ricinus (Acari: Ixodidae) in Southern Italy
AU - Ramos, Rafael Antonio Nascimento
AU - Campbell, Bronwyn Evelyn
AU - Whittle, Alice
AU - Lia, Riccardo Paolo
AU - Montarsi, Fabrizio
AU - Parisi, Antonio
AU - Dantas-Torres, Filipe
AU - Wall, Richard
AU - Otranto, Domenico
PY - 2015/4/1
Y1 - 2015/4/1
N2 - Natural enemies of ticks include the parasitoid wasp Ixodiphagus hookeri (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae). The aim of this preliminary study was to investigate the occurrence of I. hookeri DNA in a community of ticks ( Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor marginatus, Hyalomma marginatum, Haemaphysalis inermis and Rhipicephalus turanicus). From May 2010 to March 2012, ticks were collected monthly by dragging and flagging, identified, and 481 adults and 305 nymphs screened molecularly for infection with I. hookeri. Of the samples tested ( n = 786), 3.1% ( n = 25) were positive for I. hookeri DNA, 7.2% ( n = 22) in nymphs and 0.6% ( n = 3) in adults. I. hookeri DNA was only detected in I. ricinus. This study shows that I. hookeri infests I. ricinus in southern Italy, with nymphs being the main developmental stage affected by this wasp.
AB - Natural enemies of ticks include the parasitoid wasp Ixodiphagus hookeri (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae). The aim of this preliminary study was to investigate the occurrence of I. hookeri DNA in a community of ticks ( Ixodes ricinus, Dermacentor marginatus, Hyalomma marginatum, Haemaphysalis inermis and Rhipicephalus turanicus). From May 2010 to March 2012, ticks were collected monthly by dragging and flagging, identified, and 481 adults and 305 nymphs screened molecularly for infection with I. hookeri. Of the samples tested ( n = 786), 3.1% ( n = 25) were positive for I. hookeri DNA, 7.2% ( n = 22) in nymphs and 0.6% ( n = 3) in adults. I. hookeri DNA was only detected in I. ricinus. This study shows that I. hookeri infests I. ricinus in southern Italy, with nymphs being the main developmental stage affected by this wasp.
KW - Ixodiphagus
KW - Molecular identification
KW - Parasitoid
KW - Ticks
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84928213226&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.01.001
DO - 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2015.01.001
M3 - Article (Academic Journal)
C2 - 25614120
AN - SCOPUS:84928213226
SN - 1877-959X
VL - 6
SP - 234
EP - 236
JO - Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases
JF - Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases
IS - 3
ER -