Transatlantic discovery of Notocotylus atlanticus (Digenea: Notocotylidae) based on life cycle data

A new species of Notocotylus (Digenea: Notocotylidae) from the black-necked swan Cygnus melancorhyphus (Molina) of Argentina

Notocotylus cygni n. sp. is described here, taken from the intestine of the black-necked swan Cygnus melancoryphus (Molina) of Patagonia, Argentina. This new species differs from other members of the genus Notocotylus by having the genital pore anterior to the caecal bifurcation (located slightly posterior to oral sucker) and the unequal number and arrangement of ventral papillae (2-3 in the lateral rows and 10-12 in the median row). Phylogenetic analyses of the 28S and ITS1-5.8S ribosomal DNA (rRNA) sequences of the new species and other notocotylid trematodes available in GenBank indicate that N. cygni n. sp. is a sister taxon of Notocotylus fosteri Kinsella et Tkach, 2005, a trematode of the intestine of the rice rat Oryzomys palustris of Florida, United States. The new species differs from N. fosteri in the unequal number and arrangement of ventral papillae, number of uterine loops, size of the egg, definitive hosts (birds vs. mammals), and disparate environment and geographical distribution (freshwater environment in Patagonia vs. salt marsh in North America). This is the eighth species of Notocotylus reported from birds in Argentina, and the ninth species from the family Notocotylidae recorded in black-necked swans in South America.

Exploring Neotropical anuran parasites: a morphological, life cycle and phylogenetic study of Catadiscus marinholutzi (Trematoda: Diplodiscidae)

Amphistome species belonging to the genus Catadiscus are poorly studied intestinal trematodes found primarily in Neotropical anurans. Herein, developmental stages of an amphistome species found during herpetological and malacological surveys in a temporary marsh pond from Brazil were subjected to morphological (light and scanning electron microscopy) and molecular analyses. Adult parasites recovered from anurans were identified as Catadiscus marinholutzi. Amphistome cercariae found in the planorbid snails Drepanotrema depressissimum and Drepanotrema lucidum from the same waterbody were used for experimental and molecular studies. Immature parasites, morphologically compatible with members of Catadiscus, were experimentally obtained in laboratory-reared tadpoles. Sequencing of a partial region of 28S rDNA gene of both adult and cercariae revealed 100% similarity between these developmental stages, confirming their conspecificity. Phylogenetic analyses were attempted for the first time to reveal the position of a species of Catadiscus in the superfamily Paramphistomoidea. Catadiscus marinholutzi falls in a virtual polytomy together with other paramphistomoids, which leaves its phylogenetic relationships within the group unclear. Moreover, the high genetic divergence to Diplodiscus spp. (10.06–10.84%) cast doubts on the placement of Catadiscus within Diplodiscidae. Hence the species composition of the Diplodiscidae should be re-evaluated in further studies using a broader spectrum of related taxa.

Notocotylus ikutai n. sp. (Digenea: Notocotylidae) from lymnaeid snails and anatid birds in Hokkaido, Japan

An unknown species of the genus Notocotylus (Digenea: Notocotylidae) was found as the larval stage from the lymnaeid snail, Radix auricularia, in a static water area of the Chubetsu River, Hokkaido, the northernmost island of Japan. A DNA barcoding identification system was applied to detect the adult stage. Through the inspection of anatid game birds in Hokkaido, Anas crecca, Anas platyrhynchos, Anas zonorhyncha, and Mareca penelope were demonstrated to serve as the definitive hosts. The detailed morphological features of the species were characterized using adults raised experimentally in immunosuppressed mice and naturally developed larvae in R. auricularia. Although the species is morphologically similar to Notocotylus attenuatus and Notocotylus magniovatus in both adult and larval stages, its taxonomic independence was confirmed by a comprehensive study based on molecular phylogeny, morphology, and ecology. Here we propose Notocotylus ikutai n. sp. for this species. The migratory behavior of the anatid hosts and the North-Eurasian distribution of R. auricularia suggest that the new species is widely distributed in the northern Far East.

Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of Notocotylus sp. (Trematoda, Notocotylidae) and its phylogenetic implications

The parasite genus Notocotylus comprises at least 50 species colonizing mainly aquatic birds and to a lesser extent some mammals, particularly rodents. Here trematode specimens isolated from a wild black swan were characterized and identified to belong to the genus Notocotylus via morphological and molecular analyses. Phylogenetic position of the isolate among other trematodes was determined based on the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1 and 2. The complete mitochondrial (mt) genome of the isolate was amplified, sequenced, assembled, analyzed, and annotated. The isolate has an AT-rich mt genome (14,317 bp in length) that comprises 12 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes, and two ribosomal RNA genes. The Notocotylus isolate identified in this study has relatively high mt genome sequence identity and identical gene content and arrangement to a known Notocotylidae species, Ogmocotyle sikae. The isolate formed a genetic clade with O. sikae in phylogenetic analysis of the concatenated PCG amino acid sequences. Compared to the ITS, the trematode mt genome appears more informative for resolving high-level phylogenies. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study exploring the complete mt genome for the genus Notocotylus, and it offers a novel genomic resource that has important implications for trematode phylogenetics.

It is marine: distinguishing a new species of Catatropis (Digenea: Notocotylidae) from its freshwater twin

The morphology of sexual adults is the cornerstone of digenean systematics. In addition, life cycle data have always been significant. The integration of these approaches, supplemented with molecular data, has allowed us to detect a new species that many researchers may have previously seen, but not recognized. Sexual adults from common eiders that we found in northern European seas were extremely similar to other notocotylids, but the discovery of their intermediate host, a marine snail, revealed the true nature of this material. Here we describe sexual adults, rediae and cercariae of Catatropis onobae sp. nov. We discuss how 'Catatropis verrucosa' should be regarded, justify designation of the new species C. onobae for our material and explain why it can be considered a cryptic species. The phylogenetic position of C. onobae within Notocotylidae, along with other evidence, highlights the challenges for the taxonomy of the family, for which two major genera appear to be polyphyletic and life cycle data likely undervalued.

Diversity of digenean trematode larvae in snails from Lake Victoria, Kenya: First reports and bioindicative aspects

This study investigated the occurrence of digenean trematode larvae in snails from the Kenyan part of Lake Victoria. The survey included caenogastropod snails that have received less focus in parasitological studies in Africa: their trematodes are largely unknown. Out of 1145 snail specimens, 149 (13.0%) were infected with Digenea. The highest prevalence (P) was recorded in Melanoides tuberculata (64.5%), followed by Pila ovata (15.4%), Radix natalensis (9.5%), Bulinus ugandae (9.1%), Bellamya unicolor (8.9%), Biomphalaria pfeifferi (7.3%) and Biomphalaria sudanica (4.4%). Morphological and molecular analyses revealed 17 digenean species. Contrary to reports of low diversity of Digenea in caenogastropods, P. ovata harboured 8 species - at least twice as many as in each of the pulmonates. The following taxa are reported for the first time in the Lake Victoria region: Haplorchis pumilio, Thapariella prudhoei, Nudacotyle sp., Renicola sp. and Bolbophorus sp. An unknown cercaria belonging to the genus Haematoloechus is reported from P. ovata: a xiphidiocercaria possessing a long sword-shaped stylet (47-71 µm) which does not match any available literature records. From this study, H. pumilio from M. tuberculata (P = 69.4%), Fasciola gigantica from R. natalensis (P = 1.9%) and Bolbophorus sp. from Bu. ugandae (P = 4.6%) are species of veterinary or medical importance. Snails from the study site with little direct anthropogenic influence had the highest prevalence and diversity of digenean larvae, indicating that environmental conditions influence trematode occurrence.

Short communication: New data support phylogeographic patterns in a marine parasite Tristriata anatis (Digenea: Notocotylidae)

Intraspecific diversity in parasites with heteroxenous life cycles is guided by reproduction mode, host vagility and dispersal, transmission features and many other factors. Studies of these factors in Digenea have highlighted several important patterns. However, little is known about intraspecific variation for digeneans in the marine Arctic ecosystems. Here we analyse an extended dataset of partial cox1 and nadh1 sequences for Tristriata anatis (Notocotylidae) and confirm the preliminary findings on its distribution across Eurasia. Haplotypes are not shared between Europe and the North Pacific, suggesting a lack of current connection between these populations. Periwinkle distribution and anatid migration routes are consistent with such a structure of haplotype network. The North Pacific population appears ancestral, with later expansion of T. anatis to the North Atlantic. Here the parasite circulates widely, but the direction of haplotype transfer from the north-east to the south-west is more likely than the opposite. In the eastern Barents Sea, the local transmission hotspot is favoured.

A morphological, molecular and life cycle study of the capybara parasite Hippocrepis hippocrepis (Trematoda: Notocotylidae)

Hippocrepis hippocrepis is a notocotylid that has been widely reported in capybaras; however, the molluscs that act as intermediate hosts of this parasite remain unknown. Furthermore, there are currently no molecular data available for H. hippocrepis regarding its phylogenetic relationship with other members of the family Notocotylidae. In the present study, we collected monostome cercariae and adult parasites from the planorbid Biomphalaria straminea and in the large intestine of capybaras, respectively, from Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. We subjected them to morphological and molecular (amplification and sequencing of partial regions of 28S and cox-1 genes) studies. Adult parasites collected from the capybaras were identified as H. hippocrepis and the sequences obtained for both molecular markers showed 100% similarity with monostome cercariae found in B. straminea. The sequences obtained for H. hippocrepis were compared with data available in public databases; analysis revealed this species differs from other notocotylids with available sequences (1.5–3.8% with respect to 28S and 11.4%–13.8% with respect to cox-1). On the phylogenetic analyses, H. hippocrepis appeared to be a distinct lineage in relation to other notocotylids. Some ecological aspects related to the infection of capybaras with H. hippocrepis are briefly discussed.