Helping to Resolve Taxonomic Conflicts within the Genus Amblyomma (Acari:Ixodidae) from a Molecular Perspective

<p>This work sought to reassess the taxonomic status of <em>Amblyomma parvum </em>Aragao, 1908 and of the <em>A. maculatum </em>group of ticks Camicas, 1998. By using different molecular markers, 12SrDNA, 16SrDNA, DL, COI, COII (mitochondrial) and ITS2 (nuclear), I analyzed the systematic relationships between these taxa and their closest relatives. Phylogenetic analyses by maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian analysis were performed in order to determine relationships among species and populations, and to determine the evolutionary history of these ixodids. The data obtained supported the hypothesis of cryptic speciation occurring within <em>A. parvum, </em>with the northern populations of Central America being a different species from the one occurring in the southern latitudes, mainly in Brazil and Argentina. As for the <em>A. maculatum </em>group of species, the results strongly suggest that <em>A. triste </em>should be synonymized with <em>A. maculatum, </em>while <em>A. tigrinum </em>is maintained as a separated taxon until further biological evidence is gathered. In conclusion, the analyses presented herein successfully resolved some of the taxonomic issues within this large genus of hard ticks, while raising additional questions for future investigations.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science in Biology (M.S.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis (open access)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Department of Biology

Year dc:date.available

2015

Author dc:creator

• Lado, Paula

Contributors dc:contributor

• Lance Durden
• Laura Regassa

• ETD
• Ticks
• Amblyomma
• Taxonomy
• Molecular Systematics
• Molecular Genetics
• Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/1298

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu:etd-2365