**Conflict of interest**

No conflict of interest declared.

digest blood has been gained after transcriptomic analyses of their saliva [136]. In fact, scoop-like short mouth parts suggest that adults of *Antricola* do not suck blood [137]. Moreover, adults of *Antricola*, *O. marinkellei* and *O. rondoniensis* possess huge

Rondônia Unknown Unknown/*Noctilio albiventris*,

**Species State Locality Milieu of collection/Host Reference**

Rondônia Porto Velho Bat inhabited cave/*Pteronotus*

Rondônia Monte Negro Rock formation/

Amapá unknown Mistneted bat *Artibeus*

Pará Marajó Island Bat-inhabited three hole/

Rondônia Monte Negro Mistneted bat *Molossops*

Pará Carajás, Paraupebas, Canaã dos Carajás

Pará Carajás, Paraupebas, Canaã dos Carajás

*Soft ticks and their respective hosts occurring in the Brazilian Amazon.*

Rondônia Porto Velho Bat inhabited cave/*Pteronotus* spp. [122]

Rondônia Porto Velho Bat inhabited cave/*Pteronotus* spp [122]

Rondônia Monte Negro Bat inhabited caves/Unknown [125]

*parnellii*

*Molossus molossus*

*planisrostris*

Unknown

Rondônia Porto Velho Bat inhabited cave/*Pteronotus* spp [127]

Rondônia Monte Negro Bat inhabited cave/Unknown [125]

Rondônia Porto Velho Bat inhabited cave/Unknown [122]

*mattogrossensis*

Bat inhabited caves/Unknown [128]

Bat inhabited caves/Unknown [128]

*Nyctinomops laticaudatus*

[123]

[124]

[87]

[126]

[30]

[129] [11]

spiracular plates [122, 127, 137], perhaps necessary to thrive in such hot and

Except for larvae of *Ornithodoros kohlsi* collected on the bat *Molossops mattogrossensis* [30], prospections performed by our group between 2016 and 2019 focused mainly in the search for soft ticks inside natural cavities over massive rock formations. During these expeditions, *Ornithodoros cavernicolous* and *Ornithodoros peropteryx* were collected for the first time in caves from Monte Negro (Rondônia), extending their distribution of both species to the Brazilian Amazon [125]. Furthermore, analyses performed on large larvae isolated from *Molossus molossus* bats clarified that *O. setosus* was incorrectly classified in its original description. Indeed, *O. setosus* matches morphologically and molecularly within the genus *Nothoaspis* therefore the statement of *N. setosus* n. comb. was proposed [124]. It is important to note that our last collections performed at Monte Negro included several morphotypes of *Ornithodoros* pending formal description. Consequently, the fauna of soft ticks

occurring in the Brazilian Amazon is likely to increase soon.

extremely humid environments.

*Antricola delacruzi*

*Ecosystem and Biodiversity of Amazonia*

*Antricola guglielmonei*

*Nothoaspis amazoniensis*

*Nothoaspis setosus*

*Ornithodoros cavernicolous*

*Ornithodoros hasei*

*Ornithodoros kohlsi*

*Ornithodoros marinekellei*

*Ornithodoros peropteryx*

*Ornithodoros rondoniensis*

*Ornithodoros stageri*

**Table 4.**

**54**
