Ticks (Acari: Ixodoidea) associated with mammals in Colombia: a historical review, molecular species confirmation, and establishment of new relationships.

Ticks are considered the second most important vectors of pathogens worldwide, after mosquitoes. This study provides a systematic review of vector-host relationships between ticks and mammals (domestic and wild) and consolidates information from studies conducted in Colombia between 1911 and 2020. Using the PRISMA method, 71 scientific articles containing records for 51 tick species (Argasidae and Ixodidae) associated with mammals are reported. The existing information on tick-mammal associations in Colombia is scarce, fragmented, or very old. Moreover, 213 specimens were assessed based on morphological and molecular analyses, which allowed confirming eight tick species associated with mammals: Amblyomma calcaratum, Amblyomma dissimile, Amblyomma mixtum, Amblyomma nodosum, Amblyomma ovale, Amblyomma varium, Ixodes luciae, and Ixodes tropicalis. Several tick species are molecularly confirmed for Colombia and nine new relationships between ticks and mammals are reported. This research compiles and confirms important records of tick-mammal associations in Colombia.

Rickettsia parkeri strain Atlantic rainforest in ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) of wild birds in Arauca, Orinoquia region of Colombia.

Birds are important hosts for the development of the immature stages of several tick species that are vectors for disease-causing microorganisms in animals and humans. Colombia has the highest number of bird species worldwide; however, there is scarce data on the role of birds in the circulation of ticks and their associated pathogens, such as rickettsiae. The department of Arauca has a high diversity of resident and migratory (boreal and austral) birds and ticks associated with the transmission of Rickettsia. The objective of this research was to identify tick species parasitizing birds and to detect Rickettsia species in these ectoparasites. We conducted samplings in the municipalities of Arauca, Cravo Norte, and Tame between November of 2018 and August of 2019. Birds were captured using mist nets and examined for the presence of tick species. The collected ticks were morphologically and molecularly identified. Furthermore, we detected rickettsiae in ticks by amplifying fragments of the citrate synthase (gltA) and outer membrane protein (ompB) genes. We captured 606 birds belonging to 25 families and 115 species. Tick infestation rate was 3.3% (20/606) in the birds captured and eight new associations between wild birds and ticks are reported for the American continent. We identified four tick species: Amblyomma nodosum, Amblyomma longirostre, Amblyomma mixtum, and Amblyomma sp.. Moreover, we confirmed the presence of Rickettsia parkeri strain Atlantic rainforest in A. nodosum, a medically-relevant rickettsia due to cases of rickettsiosis in the American continent. This finding manifests the importance of wild birds as hosts and dispersal agents of ticks infected with pathogenic rickettsiae, as well as the need to monitor migratory birds in the Orinoquia and other regions of Colombia and America.

A morphological, reproductive, and molt phenology database for 379 bird species from the Colombian Tropical Andes.

The Colombian Tropical Andes are one of the regions with highest bird diversity on Earth. However, information on bird morphology, reproductive phenology, and molt is particularly scarce in this region. Also, this region is heavily impacted by deforestation, and it is vulnerable to climate change. Hence, providing baseline information on life history and morphological traits will be essential to support future research on functional diversity, climate change effects, conservation, evolution, and phenology. To fill this gap, we have compiled information on bird distribution, morphology, molt, and reproductive phenology at 52 localities of the Department of Caldas, covering an elevation range between 148 and 3845 m. This compilation comprises a wide range of habitats, including native forests, forestry plantations, croplands, and paramo. Our database presents information for 3,398 records belonging to 379 bird species (representing 23 orders, 53 families, and 258 genera). From those records, 2,843 correspond to information collected in the field between 2008 and 2019, and the remaining 555 records correspond to specimens deposited in the Natural History Museum of the Caldas University, collected between 1969 and 2014. We measured nine morphological traits from all specimens: total culmen, gape, bill width, bill depth, tarsus, wing length, tail length, total length, and mass. We also have reproductive condition information for 257 species and molt information available for 378 species. The information contained in this data set represents ~20% of the Colombian avifauna and ~11% of the bird species richness in South America. This data set is released for non-commercial use only. Credits should be given to this paper (i.e., proper citation), and the products generated with this database should be shared under the same license terms (CC BY-NC-SA).