Skip to main content
ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #364906
Research Project: Plant Feeding Mite (Acari) Systematics

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: Eutrombicula tinami (Oudemans, 1910) (Trombidiformes; Trombiculidae) in Brazil: A neglected ectoparasite of several animals including humans

Author
item BASSINI-SILVA, R. - Universidad De Sao Paulo
item JACINAVICIUS, F. - Universidad De Sao Paulo
item PINTER, ADRIANO - Superintendência De Controle De Endemias (SUCEN)
item FOURNIER, GISELLE, F.S. - Universidad De Sao Paulo
item LUGARINI, CAMILLE - Instituto Chico Mendes De Conservacao Da Biodiversidade
item FERREIRA, ALINE - Universidade Federal De Santa Catarina (UFSC)
item LIMA, LUCIANO - Instituto Biologicio - Brazil
item HINGST-ZAHER, ERIKA - Instituto Biologicio - Brazil
item WELBOURN, W. - Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services
item Ochoa, Ronald - Ron
item BARROS-BATTESTI, D. - Faculdade De Ciências Agrárias E Veterinárias De Jaboticabal-Unesp

Submitted to: Systematic and Applied Acarology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/23/2019
Publication Date: 10/10/2019
Citation: Bassini-Silva, R., Jacinavicius, F.C., Pinter, A., Fournier, Giselle, F.R., Lugarini, C., Ferreira, A., Lima, L.M., Hingst-Zaher, E., Welbourn, W.C., Ochoa, R., Barros-Battesti, D.M. 2019. Eutrombicula tinami (Oudemans, 1910) (Trombidiformes; Trombiculidae) in Brazil: A neglected ectoparasite of several animals including humans. Systematic and Applied Acarology. 59(4):412-423.

Interpretive Summary: There are thousands species of chiggers in the world and all are parasites that feed on vertebrates including the man. This is a redescription from Brazil of a known species of chigger in the genus Eutrombicula. It will help to recognize the parasite species associated with birds and mammals. These results are important to public health officials, animal protection officers, extension workers, agriculture scientists, entomologists and farmers.

Technical Abstract: Chiggers are parasites of primarily terrestrial vertebrates and can cause severe skin irritiation in the host, known as trombiculiasis. The genus Eutrombicula with ca. 80 species worldwide with some species implicated in trombiculiasis. Six species of Eutrombicula are recorded from Brazil, and only two reported biting humans. In this study, we are improving the taxonomic details of the species Eutrombicula tinami (Oudemans), with new records of localities and host associationss, including biting humans encounter records in Brazil.