Author(s):
Crespo, Maria Virgínia 
; Rosa, Fernanda ; Nunes, C.
Date: 2011
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.15/644
Origin: Repositório Científico do Instituto Politécnico de Santarém
Subject(s): Ixodidae; grupo R. sanguineus; Cão; Óbidos; Santarém; Portugal
Description
Apresentação em painel. The Rhipicephalus sanguineus group comprises several species with intra and interspecific morphological characteristic that make difficult their diagnosis. In Portugal, this group is represented by R. pusillus and R. sanguineus. The latter is characterized by morphological variability, vast distribution, and ability to parasitize many hosts besides dogs.
In order to deepen the knowledge of R. sanguineus in Portugal, two populations of Rhipicephalus sanguineus, collected from dogs from two Portuguese councils (149 specimens collected in 2010 in Óbidos; 150 specimens in 2005 in Santarém), were studied considering the diagnostic features of the Rhipicephalus species, using a stereoscopic microscope.
Differences were evidenced among specimens from each population of R. sanguineus and between the populations considered. The main dissimilarities were observed at the posteromedian and posterolateral grooves, cervical field margins, punctuations size and distribution, spiracle shape and adanal plates on male and at the genital aperture on female.
Three groups can be considered in males, one refers to the classic description of R. sanguineus, a second group consist of a morphology which was previously considered as R. turanicus, and a third comprises specimens with intermediate characteristics of those two typologies. In females, two distinct types of genital aperture were identified.
Although morphological differences has already been observed in R. sanguineus populations from other European and American countries, some of which revealed the existence of other species involved, the morphological variability evidenced in these two Portuguese populations pointed out to further morphological and eventually molecular analysis, in order to investigate the existence of other species involved and eventually to scrutinize the features that can be use in the diagnosis of Rhipicephalus species.
