Finding of pentastomes of genus Reighardia (pentastomida) in the Belcher's gull ( Larus belcheri )

Abstract This report describes the finding of Reighardia sp. (Pentastomida) infecting the air sac of two Belcher's gulls ( Larus belcheri ) found dead on the beaches of Pucusana, a district in southern Lima, Peru. Three pentastomes were collected from two Belcher's gulls. Then, they were morphologically and molecular analyzed. Molecular characterization of the parasite was achieved by amplifying a fragment of the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene (SSU rRNA). Based on both morphological and molecular data the pentastomes were identified as pentastomes of the genus Reighardia . This is the first report showing that the Belcher's gull is a new natural definitive host for this pentastome.