Resumo

DURAN-IRIGOYEN, M.G.  e  MARTINEZ-CALDERAS, J.M.. Parasitism in the Ringtail cat (Bassariscus astutus): a systematic review. Revista bio ciencias [online]. 2023, vol.10, e1517.  Epub 12-Abr-2024. ISSN 2007-3380.  https://doi.org/10.15741/revbio.10.e1517.

The ringtail cat (Bassariscus astutus) is a small mammal native to North America, whose role as a host for parasites is poorly understood. The present study aimed to use the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses checklist to systematically collect and analyze the species that parasitize B. astutus. 55 species were identified from 23 scientific studies published between 1945 and 2021. 83.3 % of these were arthropod ectoparasites, mainly from the Ixodidae and Pulicidae families. It was identified that the louse Neotrichodectes thoracicus and the cestode Taenia pencei could present some type of specificity towards B. astutus. On the other hand, the Chao1, Chao2, Jack1, Jack2, and Bootstrap estimators were used to estimate parasite richness, which showed that the species inventory is still incomplete. We expect our results to be helpful in exposing the lack of information about the species that parasitize B. astutus, especially endoparasites.

Palavras-chave : Bassariscus astutus; Ringtail cat; Parasites; Endoparasites; Ectoparasites.