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Origin of Populations of the Cane Toad Rhinella marina and its Parasitic Tick Amblyomma dissimile on Margarita Island (Venezuela)

Spartak N. Litvinchuk, Polina K. Ibrogimova, Nikolay V. Anisimov, Anton O. Svinin

Abstract


Invasive species pose a serious threat to global biodiversity. One of the most successful of these species is the cane toad Rhinella marina. Since 1842, it has become a popular biological pest control agent and has been deliberately introduced to many islands and Australia. However, due to its toxicity and potential impact on wildlife and domestic animals, cane toads are now considered one of the most dangerous invasive species. They were first recorded on Margarita Island in the Caribbean in 1993 and have become very numerous there. The toads are heavily infested with the Amblyomma dissimile tick, which can also be transmitted by reptiles and occasionally birds and mammals. The aim of our paper was to analyze possible routes of introduction of cane toads and their parasitic ticks to Margarita Island using a mitochondrial DNA molecular marker (barcoding). We have genetically confirmed for the first time that the local population of cane toads is indeed R. marina. We did not find any genetic variation in the population, which may indicate that it is new and experiencing a bottleneck. The ticks have probably been present on this island longer than the cane toads. This may be supported by the fact that they were known here before the arrival of R. marina. Our genetic analysis supports this hypothesis, as a unique haplotype was found in the local tick population.

Keywords


barcoding; Bufonidae; Caribbean; ectoparasitism; invasive species; Ixodidae

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References


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DOI: https://doi.org/10.30906/1026-2296-2025-32-2-96-107

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