Ticks on wild deer in the municipality of Sorocaba, São Paulo, Brazil

Seventy-eight tick species are recognized in Brazil, with the Ixodidae family being the most studied group due to pathogens transmission. The relationship between ectoparasites and wild animals has not been extensive studied as in domesticated ones. This paper describes the occurrence of ticks parasitizing deers in the Sorocaba region from 1994 to 2024. The deers were from two categories: free-ranging animals and animals kept under human care. 887 tick specimens were colected from four deer species: gray brocket deer (Mazama gouazoubira), red brocket deer (M. americana), pampas deer (Ozotocerus bezoarticus) and marsh deer (Blastocerus dichotomus). The ticks identified represented ten species of ixodids: Amblyomma aureolatum, A. dubitatum, A. incisum, A. sculptum, Dermacentor nitens, Haemaphysalis juxtakochi, Ixodes fuscipes, I. loricatus, Rhipicephalus microplus, R. linnaei and some individuals identified as Amblyomma. The obtained results contributed to increase of the knowledge in the deer ixodofauna in the Sorocaba region and highlight the importance of systematic collection of ectoparasites in wild animals.