First Molecular Characterization of Linguatula recurvata (Pentastomida) and First Record in Baird's Tapir (Tapirus bairdii) from Calakmul, Mexico

摘要

The genus Linguatula (Pentastomida) is cosmopolitan and includes 6 species that have a higher prevalence in subtropical, tropical, and temperate regions. Larvae (nymphs) of Linguatula spp. require an intermediate host (herbivorous), while the adult worms inhabit the respiratory tract of wild and domestic carnivores. During an ongoing project on conservation biology of Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii), 3 pentastome nymphs were found parasitizing the liver, mesentery, and small intestine of an adult male from the region of Calakmul, Campeche, Mexico. Based on morphological and molecular data, these specimens correspond to Linguatula recurvata. Here, we present the first record of a linguatulid parasitizing a Tapirus sp., and only the second of a pentastomid in tapirs. In addition, this work includes for the first time sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I of L. recurvata.