Maria Tonelli-Rondelli

Maria Tonelli-Rondelli
Born
Maria Rondelli

1899
Turin, Italy
Died1970
NationalityItalian
Alma materUniversity of Turin
Known forticks (Ixodidae)
SpouseLeonida Tonelli
Scientific career
Author abbrev. (zoology)Tonelli-Rondelli

Maria Tonelli-Rondelli (1899 – 1970) was an Italian entomologist who studied the taxonomy and identification of ticks (Ixodidae), especially South American species.[1]

Early life and education[edit]

She was born in Turin in 1899, the daughter of Alipio Rondelli and Maria Pia (Marina) Zanetti.[2] She studied at University of Turin, graduating in natural sciences in 1921 and then geography in 1923. After graduating she worked at the university. She married the mathematician Leonida Tonelli in 1927. He died in 1946.[3]

Career[edit]

She began her career by translating into Italian volumes of Zoology by Rémy Perrier. This was published with a preface by the Italian zoologist Umberto Pierantoni.[2] However the focus of her career was on ticks. She examined specimens in the collections at Milan and Turin museums and specimens from scientific expeditions.[4] In 1928 she described a new species, Ixodes nivalis from specimens obtained in the Gran Paradiso National Park in Italy.[5][6] She worked especially on ticks found in South America. These included Amblyomma, a genus of hard ticks which are particularly diverse in the Americas. Some species are vectors of disease. She was able to re-examine specimens described by Carl Ludwig Koch in 1844[7] and provide improved illustrations and descriptions.[8] She also proposed that, because of differences in the morphology among specimens of the species Amblyomma cajennense, it should be divided into several different species. A. cajennense can transmit Rocky Mountain spotted fever so its unambiguous identification was important. Later workers considered that these differences were inherent variation between individuals of only one species and not sufficient to define new species.[9][10] The application of molecular taxonomic methods in the twenty-first century has, however, demonstrated that some of these morphological distinctions indeed mark distinct species.[11]

Legacy[edit]

In 2014 the new species Amblyomma tonelliae was named after her.[12]

Publications[edit]

  • Translation into Italian of Zoology by Rémy Perrier
  • Tonelli-Rondelli M. Ixodoidea del museo di Torino. Boll Mus Zool Anatom Comp. 1931;41:1–19.
  • Tonelli-Rondelli M. Ixodoidea. Parte I.-Amblyomma ovale Koch, Amblyomma cajennense Fabricius e le specie a loro affini nuove o poco note. Riv Parassitol. 1937;1:237–99.
  • Tonelli-Rondelli M. A contribution to the knowledge of the South American fauna of Ixodoidea. Riv Parassitol. 1939;3:273–300.
  • Tonelli-Rondelli M. Ixodoidea Parte II—contributo alla conoscenza della fauna ixodologica Sud-Americiana. Riv Parassitol. 1939;3:39–55.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Troyo, Adriana; González-Sequeira, María Paula; Aguirre-Salazar, Mónica; Cambronero-Ortíz, Ian; Chaves-González, Luis Enrique; Mejías-Alpízar, María José; Alvarado-Molina, Kendall; Calderón-Arguedas, Ólger; Rojas-Araya, Diana (2022). "Acknowledging extraordinary women in the history of medical entomology". Parasites and Vectors. 14 (1): 114. doi:10.1186/s13071-022-05234-6. PMC 8969321. PMID 35361284.
  2. ^ a b "Rondelli Maria, la memoria e le carte". Centro Archivistico della Scuola Normale Superiore. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Tonelli Leonida". Centro Archivistico della Scuola Normale Superiore. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  4. ^ Ragusa, Salvatore (2002). Acarid Phylogeny and Evolution: Adaptation in Mites and Ticks Proceedings of the IV Symposium of the European Association of Acarologists. Springer Link. pp. 10–11. ISBN 978-94-017-0611-7.
  5. ^ Graf von Hardenberg, Wilko (2021). A Monastery for the Ibex: Conservation, State, and Conflict on the Gran Paradiso 1919-1949. University of Pittsburgh Press. p. 216. ISBN 978-0822946359.
  6. ^ Tonelli-Rondelli, Maria (1928). Ixodes nivalis n. sp in Il Parco del Nalzionale Gran Paradiso. pp. 190–191.
  7. ^ Koch, C. L. (1844). "Systematische Übersicht über die Ordnung der Zecken". Archiv für Naturgeschichte. 10: 217–39. doi:10.5962/bhl.part.29560.
  8. ^ Tonelli-Rondelli, M. (1937). "Ixodoidea. Parte I. Amblyomma ovale Koch, Amblyomma cajennense Fabricius e le specie a loro affini nuove o poco note". Riv Parassitol. 1: 237–99.
  9. ^ Aragão, H. B.; da Fonseca, F. (1953). "Notas de ixodologia: V—a propósito da validade de algumas espécies do gênero Amblyomma do continente americano (Acari: Ixodídoe)". Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz. 51: 485–92. doi:10.1590/S0074-02761953000100014.
  10. ^ Vogelsang, E.; Santos, D. J. (1953). "Nueva contribución al estudio de la fauna ixodológica en Venezuela". Rev Méd Vet Parasitol. 12: 63–89.
  11. ^ Beati, L.; Nava, S.; Burkman, E. J.; Barros-Battesti, D. M.; Labruna, M. B.; Guglielmone, A. A.; others, and (2013). "Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius, 1787) (Acari: Ixodidae), the Cayenne tick: Phylogeography and evidence for allopatric speciation". BMC Ecol. Evol. 13: 267. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-13-267. PMC 3890524. PMID 24320199.
  12. ^ Nava, S.; Beati, L.; Labruna, M. B.; Cáceres, A. G.; Mangold, A. J.; Guglielmone, A. A. (2014). "Reassessment of the taxonomic status of Amblyomma cajennense (Fabricius, 1787) with the description of three new species, Amblyomma tonelliae n. sp., Amblyomma interandinum n. sp. and Amblyomma patinoi n. sp., and reinstatement of Amblyomma mixtum Koch, 1844, and Amblyomma sculptum Berlese, 1888 (Ixodida: Ixodidae)". Ticks Tick Borne Dis. 5 (3): 252–76. doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2013.11.004. hdl:11336/31257. PMID 24556273. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
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