Abstract

More than half of the Brazilian soft ticks (Argasidae) are represented by species associated with bats. Based on a morphological and molecular approach of free-living ticks collected inside two unexplored caves in Rondonia state, western Brazilian Amazon, we report the occurrence of Ornithodoros peropteryx for the first time in Brazil. Our findings also extend the distribution of Ornithodoros cavernicolous towards western Brazilian Amazon. Additionally, our collections include previously unknown male of O. peropteryx. In both species, partial 16S rRNA mitochondrial gene sequences showed >99% of identity when compared to available conspecific data from other localities. Although more data is necessary to make a general conclusion, high vagility of hosts could be favoring low genetic structure among these ectoparasites.