ABSTRACT This note reports on occurrences of triatomine species in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, registered between 1988 and 2017. Records of triatomines captured in Sao Paulo are based on specimens received spontaneously from Health Surveillance Centers, Health Centers and Zoonosis Control Centers in the city as well as from citizens. Species were identified morphologically at the Public Health Entomology Laboratory, Faculty of Public Health, University of Sao Paulo, where the triatomines, which are vectors of Chagas disease, were tested for Trypanosoma cruzi infection. The first reported occurrence of triatomine bugs in urban Sao Paulo was in 1988. The specimen, which was captured in Jardim Sao Luiz district, was from the genus Panstrongylus and was registered as Panstrongylus sp. but was not sexed. Since this first recorded occurrence, the following species have been found in the city: Panstrongylus geniculatus (2 occurrences), P. megistus (15 occurrences), Triatoma infestans (1 occurrence) and T. sordida (3 occurrences). In this paper, the importance of reporting occurrences of triatomine bugs in the city of Sao Paulo, one of the largest metropolis in the world, is discussed with an emphasis on P. megistus. The occurrences discussed here indicate the importance of entomological surveillance for these vectors even in urban centers although the possibility of vector transmission of Chagas disease in these centers is very low.

Amblyomma fuscum é uma espécie rara de carrapato, recentemente revalidada, com poucos registros de ocorrência na literatura. Neste trabalho, são informados dois registros de parasitismo de A. fuscum em seres humanos: um no Estado de São Paulo (SP) e outro possivelmente oriundo do Estado de Santa Catarina (SC), Brasil. Tratam-se dos primeiros registros de parasitismo em humano por esta espécie de carrapato. Um espécime adulto fêmea de A. fuscum foi coletado quando encontrava-se fixado à palma da mão de um dos autores deste trabalho, no município de Guarujá, SP. O segundo espécime, também adulto fêmea, foi coletado quando se encontrava fixado ao tornozelo de uma cidadã da cidade de São Paulo, que havia retornado de Lagoa da Conceição, em Florianópolis, SC, três dias antes. O presente registro de A. fuscum no município de Guarujá, SP, e outro possivelmente oriundo de Florianópolis, SC, reforça os achados prévios deste carrapato nesses dois Estados, especialmente em região costeira. Embora o estágio adulto de A. fuscum tenha sido associado primariamente com répteis, os vários registros em mamíferos (Carnivora e Edentata) e o presente registro em seres humanos sugerem uma baixa especificidade parasitária.

Amblyomma fuscum is a rare, recently revalidated tick species, with few records in the literature. The present study reports two records of human parasitism by A. fuscum, one in the state of São Paulo (SP), and the other possibly from the state of Santa Catarina (SC), Brazil. These are the first reports of A. fuscum on humans. An adult female specimen of A. fuscum was collected while attached to the palmar area of the hand of one of the authors of the present study, in Guarujá, SP. The second specimen, also an adult female, was collected while attached to the ankle of a resident of São Paulo city, who had returned three days before from Lagoa da Conceição, Florianópolis Municipality, SC. The present report of A. fuscum in Guarujá, SP and another one, possibly from Florianópolis, SC, reinforce previous reports of this tick species in these two Brazilian states. Although the adult stage of A. fuscum has been primarily associated with reptiles, other reports on mammals (Carnivora and Edentata) and the present report on humans suggest low host specificity.

Amblyomma varium, commonly known in Brazil as the "carrapato-gigante-da-preguiça" (sloth's giant tick) is found from southern Central America to Argentina. The present study adds information on the geographical distribution of A. varium, as well as on their hosts, based on material deposited in the main Brazilian collections and on the available literature. Eighty-two vials, containing 191 adult specimens, deposited in five Acari collections between 1930 and 2001, were examined. These vials included data on the host and collection localities. The biology of A. varium is unknown. However it is known that, during the adult stage, the tick presents a high host specificity and is found almost exclusively on the sloths Bradypus tridactylus, B. variegatus, B.torquatus (Bradypodidae), Choloepus hoffmanni and C. didactylus (Megalonychidae). Based on the material examined, the states of Rondônia, Amazonas, Bahia and Alagoas are newly assigned to geographic distribution of A. varium in Brazil.