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Ebert MB, Narciso RB, Vieira Dias DHM, Osaki-Pereira MM, Jorge M, de León GPP, da Silva RJ. Parasites (Monogenea) of tilapias Oreochromis niloticus and Coptodon rendalli (Cichlidae) in a river spring in Brazil. Parasite 2024; 31:22. [PMID: 38602374 PMCID: PMC11008226 DOI: 10.1051/parasite/2024021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
In the present study, we examined 30 individuals of introduced African cichlids, Oreochromis niloticus and Coptodon rendalli, collected in a river spring of the Pardo River, Paranapanema River basin, southeastern Brazil. Based on morphological and molecular analyses of the partial LSU rDNA gene, we identified four species of monogeneans, Cichlidogyrus tilapiae, C. thurstonae, C. mbirizei, and Scutogyrus longicornis on the gills of O. niloticus, whereas individuals of C. rendalli were infested only with C. papernastrema. This is the first record of C. mbirizei and C. papernastrema in tilapias from Brazil. The ecological consequences of the introduction of exotic species of tilapia such as O. niloticus and C. rendalli along with their monogenean parasites in a wild environment represented by a river spring are discussed. Our new molecular data on Cichlidogyrus and Scutogyrus contribute to the investigation of the phylogenetic interrelationships of these widely distributed genera of monogeneans since their species composition is still unsettled.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Bertholdi Ebert
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), Institute of Biosciences, Department of Biodiversity and Biostatistics, Section of Parasitology Botucatu SP Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Bravin Narciso
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), Institute of Biosciences, Department of Biodiversity and Biostatistics, Section of Parasitology Botucatu SP Brazil
| | - Diego Henrique Mirandola Vieira Dias
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), Institute of Biosciences, Department of Biodiversity and Biostatistics, Section of Parasitology Botucatu SP Brazil
| | - Melissa Miyuki Osaki-Pereira
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), Institute of Biosciences, Department of Biodiversity and Biostatistics, Section of Parasitology Botucatu SP Brazil
| | - Maurício Jorge
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), Institute of Biosciences, Department of Biodiversity and Biostatistics, Section of Parasitology Botucatu SP Brazil
| | - Gerardo Pérez-Ponce de León
- Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Unidad Mérida, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México 97357 Ucú Yucatán Mexico
| | - Reinaldo José da Silva
- São Paulo State University (UNESP), Institute of Biosciences, Department of Biodiversity and Biostatistics, Section of Parasitology Botucatu SP Brazil
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Soares GB, Adriano EA, Domingues MV, Rodríguez-González A, Balbuena JA. Evolutionary morphology of haptoral anchors in monogenoids (Dactylogyridae) of marine catfish (Siluriformes: Ariidae) from the Atlantic coast of South America. Parasitology 2024; 151:390-399. [PMID: 38389483 PMCID: PMC11044069 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182024000192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Exploring the phylogenetic signal of morphological traits using geometric morphometry represents a powerful approach to assess the relative weights of convergence and shared evolutionary history in shaping species' forms. We evaluated the phylogenetic signal in shape and size of ventral and dorsal haptoral anchors of 10 species of monogenoids (Hamatopeduncularia, Chauhanellus and Susanlimocotyle) occurring in marine catfish (Siluriformes: Ariidae) from the Atlantic coast of South America. The phylogenetic relationships among these species were mapped onto the morphospaces of shape and size of dorsal and ventral anchors. Two different tests (squared change-parsimony and Kmult) were applied to establish whether the spatial positions in the phylomorphospace were influenced by phylogenetic relationships. A significant phylogenetic signal was found between anchor form and parasite phylogeny. Allometric effects on anchor shape were non-significant. Phylogenetically distant species on the same host differed markedly in anchor morphology, suggesting little influence of host species on anchor form. A significantly higher level of shape variation among ventral anchors was also found, suggesting that the evolutionary forces shaping ventral anchor morphology may operate with differing intensities or exhibit distinct mechanisms compared to their dorsal counterparts. Our results suggest that phylogenetic relationships were a key driver of changes in shape (but not size) of anchors of monogenoids of South American ariids. However, it seems that the emergence of the digitiform haptor in Hamatopenducularia and in some species of Chauhanellus played an important role in the reduction in anchor size and may cause secondary losses of anchors in other groups of monogenoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geusivam Barbosa Soares
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Edson Aparecido Adriano
- Departamento de Biologia Animal, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
- Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), Diadema, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Abril Rodríguez-González
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Instituto de Biología, Laboratorio de Helmintología, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Juan Antonio Balbuena
- Institut Cavanilles de Biodiversitat i Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain
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3
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Reichard M, Koblmüller S, Blažek R, Zimmermann H, Katongo C, Bryjová A, Bryja J. Lack of host specialization despite selective host use in brood parasitic cuckoo catfish. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:6070-6082. [PMID: 37861460 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 09/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
Host-parasite dynamics involve coevolutionary arms races, which may lead to host specialization and ensuing diversification. Our general understanding of the evolution of host specialization in brood parasites is compromised by a restricted focus on bird and insect lineages. The cuckoo catfish (Synodontis multipunctatus) is an obligate parasite of parental care of mouthbrooding cichlids in Lake Tanganyika. Given the ecological and taxonomic diversity of mouthbrooding cichlids in the lake, we hypothesized the existence of sympatric host-specific lineages in the cuckoo catfish. In a sample of 779 broods from 20 cichlid species, we found four species parasitized by cuckoo catfish (with prevalence of parasitism of 2%-18%). All parasitized cichlids were from the tribe Tropheini, maternal mouthbrooders that spawn over a substrate (rather than in open water). Phylogenetic analysis based on genomic (ddRAD sequencing) and mitochondrial (Dloop) data from cuckoo catfish embryos showed an absence of host-specific lineages. This was corroborated by analyses of genetic structure and co-ancestry matrix. Within host species, parasitism was not associated with any individual characteristic we recorded (parent size, water depth), but was costly as parasitized parents carried smaller clutches of their own offspring. We conclude that the cuckoo catfish is an intermediate generalist and discuss costs, benefits and constraints of host specialization in this species and brood parasites in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Reichard
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Ecology and Vertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
| | | | - Radim Blažek
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Holger Zimmermann
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Cyprian Katongo
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Anna Bryjová
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Josef Bryja
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
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4
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Geraerts M, Huyse T, Barson M, Bassirou H, Bilong Bilong CF, Bitja Nyom AR, Manda AC, Cruz-Laufer AJ, Kabalika CK, Kasembele GK, Bukinga FM, Njom S, Van Steenberge M, Artois T, Vanhove MPM. Sharing is caring? Barcoding suggests co-introduction of dactylogyrid monogeneans with Nile tilapia and transfer towards native tilapias in sub-Saharan Africa. Int J Parasitol 2023; 53:711-730. [PMID: 37414208 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2023.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Invasive Nile tilapias negatively impact native tilapia species through hybridisation and competition. However, the co-introduction of parasites with Nile tilapia, and subsequent changes in parasite communities, are scarcely documented. Monogeneans are known pathogens of cultured Nile tilapia, although little is known about their fate once Nile tilapias establish in new ecosystems. We investigate the parasitological consequences of Nile tilapia introduction on native tilapias in basins in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Zimbabwe, focusing on ectoparasitic dactylogyrids (Monogenea). Using the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase c subunit I (COI) and nuclear 18S-internal transcribed spacer 1 (18S-ITS1) rDNA region of 128 and 166 worms, respectively, we evaluated transmission of several dactylogyrid species. Parasite spillover from Nile tilapia was detected for Cichlidogyrus tilapiae to Coptodon guineensis in Cameroon, Cichlidogyrus thurstonae to Oreochromis macrochir in the DRC, and Cichlidogyrus halli and C. tilapiae to Coptodon rendalli in Zimbabwe. Parasite spillback to Nile tilapia was detected for Cichlidogyrus papernastrema and Scutogyrus gravivaginus from Tilapia sparrmanii and Cichlidogyrus dossoui from C. rendalli or T. sparrmanii in the DRC, and Cichlidogyrus chloeae from Oreochromis cf. mortimeri and S. gravivaginus from O. macrochir in Zimbabwe. 'Hidden' transmissions (i.e. transmission of certain parasite lineages of species that are naturally present on both alien and native hosts) were detected for C. tilapiae and Scutogyrus longicornis between Nile tilapia and Oreochromis aureus and C. tilapiae between Nile tilapia and Oreochromis mweruensis in the DRC, and Cichlidogyrus sclerosus and C. tilapiae between Nile tilapia and O. cf. mortimeri in Zimbabwe. A high density of Nile tilapia occurring together with native tilapias, and the broad host range and/or environmental tolerance of the transmitted parasites, are proposed as factors behind parasite transmission through ecological fitting. However, continuous monitoring and the inclusion of environmental variables are necessary to understand the long-term consequences of these transmissions on native tilapias and to elucidate other underlying factors influencing these transmissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mare Geraerts
- UHasselt - Hasselt University, Faculty of Sciences, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Research Group Zoology: Biodiversity and Toxicology, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
| | - Tine Huyse
- Department of Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium; Laboratory of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Genomics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maxwell Barson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe; Department of Biological Sciences, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana; Lake Kariba Research Station, University of Zimbabwe, Kariba, Zimbabwe
| | - Hassan Bassirou
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Ngaoundéré, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon
| | | | - Arnold R Bitja Nyom
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Ngaoundéré, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon; Department of Management of Fisheries and Aquatic Ecosystems, Institute of Fisheries, University of Douala, Douala, Cameroon
| | - Auguste Chocha Manda
- Unité de Recherche en Biodiversité et Exploitation durable des Zones Humides (BEZHU), Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université de Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Armando J Cruz-Laufer
- UHasselt - Hasselt University, Faculty of Sciences, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Research Group Zoology: Biodiversity and Toxicology, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Clément Kalombo Kabalika
- Unité de Recherche en Biodiversité et Exploitation durable des Zones Humides (BEZHU), Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université de Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Gyrhaiss Kapepula Kasembele
- Unité de Recherche en Biodiversité et Exploitation durable des Zones Humides (BEZHU), Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université de Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Fidel Muterezi Bukinga
- Section de Parasitologie, Département de Biologie, Centre de Recherche en Hydrobiologie, Uvira, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Samuel Njom
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Ngaoundéré, Ngaoundéré, Cameroon
| | - Maarten Van Steenberge
- Laboratory of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Genomics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Vertebrate Section, OD Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Tom Artois
- UHasselt - Hasselt University, Faculty of Sciences, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Research Group Zoology: Biodiversity and Toxicology, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Maarten P M Vanhove
- UHasselt - Hasselt University, Faculty of Sciences, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Research Group Zoology: Biodiversity and Toxicology, Diepenbeek, Belgium; Laboratory of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Genomics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Brand JN. Support for a radiation of free-living flatworms in the African Great Lakes region and the description of five new Macrostomum species. Front Zool 2023; 20:31. [PMID: 37670326 PMCID: PMC10478486 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-023-00509-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The African Great Lakes have long been recognized as an excellent location to study speciation. Most famously, cichlid fishes have radiated in Lake Tanganyika and subsequently spread into Lake Malawi and Lake Victoria, where they again radiated. Other taxa have diversified in these lakes, such as catfish, ostracods, gastropods, and Monegenean gill parasites of cichlids. However, these radiations have received less attention, and the process leading to their speciation in this unique region remains to be further explored. Here I present evidence that suggests a radiation of Macrostomum flatworms has occurred in the African Great Lakes region, offering a good opportunity for such investigations. RESULTS Recent field work has revealed a monophyletic clade of 16 Macrostomum flatworms that have, to date, only been collected from Lake Tanganyika. Additionally, a species collected from Lake Malawi was found nested within this clade. Molecular phylogenetic analysis, largely based on transcriptome data, suggests that this clade underwent rapid speciation, possibly due to a large habitat diversity in the lake. I also observed significant differences in the sperm morphology of these flatworms compared to those of species found outside Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi. These included the elongation of an anterior structure, a reduction in the size of the lateral sperm bristles, and changes in relative proportions. I propose functional hypotheses for these changes in sperm design, and formally describe Macrostomum gracilistylum sp. nov from Lake Malawi and its sister species Macrostomum crassum sp. nov., Macrostomum pellitum sp. nov., Macrostomum longispermatum sp. nov., and Macrostomum schäreri sp. nov., from Lake Tanganyika. CONCLUSIONS The available evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that Macrostomum flatworms have radiated in Lake Tanganyika and subsequently spread to Lake Malawi. However, whether this represents a bona fide adaptive radiation still needs to be determined. Therefore, the African Great Lakes are promising targets for further research into flatworm diversity and speciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremias N Brand
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoological Institute, University of Basel, Vesalgasse 1, Basel, 4051, Switzerland.
- Department of Tissue Dynamics and Regeneration, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Science, Am Fassberg 11, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
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6
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Bachmann L, Beermann J, Brey T, de Boer HJ, Dannheim J, Edvardsen B, Ericson PGP, Holston KC, Johansson VA, Kloss P, Konijnenberg R, Osborn KJ, Pappalardo P, Pehlke H, Piepenburg D, Struck TH, Sundberg P, Markussen SS, Teschke K, Vanhove MPM. The role of systematics for understanding ecosystem functions: Proceedings of the Zoologica Scripta Symposium, Oslo, Norway, 25 August 2022. ZOOL SCR 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/28/2023]
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7
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Geraerts M, Huyse T, Vanhove MPM, Artois T. A new species of Cichlidogyrus Paperna, 1960 (Platyhelminthes: Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) infecting tilapias in Lake Kariba (Zimbabwe), with a discussion on its phylogenetic position. SYST BIODIVERS 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/14772000.2022.2143594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mare Geraerts
- Faculty of Sciences, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Research Group Zoology: Biodiversity and Toxicology, UHasselt – Hasselt University, Agoralaan Gebouw D, Diepenbeek, 3590, Belgium
| | - Tine Huyse
- Department of Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Leuvensesteenweg 13, Tervuren, 3080, Belgium
| | - Maarten P. M. Vanhove
- Faculty of Sciences, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Research Group Zoology: Biodiversity and Toxicology, UHasselt – Hasselt University, Agoralaan Gebouw D, Diepenbeek, 3590, Belgium
- Zoology Unit, Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 13, Helsinki, 00100, Finland
| | - Tom Artois
- Faculty of Sciences, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Research Group Zoology: Biodiversity and Toxicology, UHasselt – Hasselt University, Agoralaan Gebouw D, Diepenbeek, 3590, Belgium
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8
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Cruz-Laufer AJ, Artois T, Koblmüller S, Pariselle A, Smeets K, Van Steenberge M, Vanhove MPM. Explosive networking: The role of adaptive host radiations and ecological opportunity in a species-rich host-parasite assembly. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:1795-1812. [PMID: 35726545 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Many species-rich ecological communities emerge from adaptive radiation events. Yet the effects of adaptive radiation on community assembly remain poorly understood. Here, we explore the well-documented radiations of African cichlid fishes and their interactions with the flatworm gill parasites Cichlidogyrus spp., including 10,529 reported infections and 477 different host-parasite combinations collected through a survey of peer-reviewed literature. We assess how evolutionary, ecological, and morphological parameters determine host-parasite meta-communities affected by adaptive radiation events through network metrics, host repertoire measures, and network link prediction. The hosts' evolutionary history mostly determined host repertoires of the parasites. Ecological and evolutionary parameters predicted host-parasite interactions. Generally, ecological opportunity and fitting have shaped cichlid-Cichlidogyrus meta-communities suggesting an invasive potential for hosts used in aquaculture. Meta-communities affected by adaptive radiations are increasingly specialised with higher environmental stability. These trends should be verified across other systems to infer generalities in the evolution of species-rich host-parasite networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armando J Cruz-Laufer
- Faculty of Sciences, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Research Group Zoology: Biodiversity and Toxicology, UHasselt - Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Tom Artois
- Faculty of Sciences, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Research Group Zoology: Biodiversity and Toxicology, UHasselt - Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | | | - Antoine Pariselle
- ISEM, CNRS, IRD, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.,Faculty of Sciences, Laboratory "Biodiversity, Ecology and Genome", Research Centre "Plant and Microbial Biotechnology, Biodiversity and Environment", Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Karen Smeets
- Faculty of Sciences, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Research Group Zoology: Biodiversity and Toxicology, UHasselt - Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Maarten Van Steenberge
- Faculty of Sciences, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Research Group Zoology: Biodiversity and Toxicology, UHasselt - Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Laboratory of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Genomics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.,Operational Directorate Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Maarten P M Vanhove
- Faculty of Sciences, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Research Group Zoology: Biodiversity and Toxicology, UHasselt - Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Laboratory of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Genomics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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9
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Kmentová N, Cruz-Laufer AJ, Pariselle A, Smeets K, Artois T, Vanhove MPM. Dactylogyridae 2022: a meta-analysis of phylogenetic studies and generic diagnoses of parasitic flatworms using published genetic and morphological data. Int J Parasitol 2022; 52:427-457. [PMID: 35245493 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2022.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 01/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Dactylogyridae is one of the most studied families of parasitic flatworms with more than 1000 species and 166 genera described to date including ecto- and endoparasites. Dactylogyrid monogeneans were suggested as model organisms for host-parasite macroevolutionary and biogeographical studies due to the scientific and economic importance of some of their host lineages. Consequently, an array of phylogenetic research into different dactylogyrid lineages has been produced over the past years but the last family-wide study was published 16 years ago. Here, we provide a meta-analysis of the phylogenetic relationships of Dactylogyridae including representatives of all genera with available molecular data (n=67). First, we investigate the systematic informativeness of morphological characters widely used to diagnose dactylogyrid genera through a parsimony analysis of the characters, character mapping, and phylogenetic comparative methods. Second, we provide an overview of the current state of the systematics of the family and its subfamilies, and summarise potentially poly- and paraphyletic genera. Third, we elaborate on the implications of taxonomic, citation, and confirmation bias in past studies. Fourth, we discuss host range, biogeographical, and freshwater-marine patterns. We found two well-supported macroclades which we assigned to the subfamilies Dactylogyrinae and Ancyrocephalinae. These subfamilies further include 16 well-supported clades with only a few synapomorphies that could be deduced from generic diagnoses in the literature. Furthermore, few morphological characters considered systematically informative at the genus level display a strong phylogenetic signal. However, the parsimony analysis suggests that these characters provide little information on the relationships between genera. We conclude that a strong taxonomic bias and low coverage of DNA sequences and regions limit knowledge on morphological and biogeographical evolutionary patterns that can be inferred from these results. We propose addressing potential citation and confirmation biases through a 'level playing field' multiple sequence alignment as provided by this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikol Kmentová
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37, Brno, Czech Republic; Research Group Zoology: Biodiversity and Toxicology, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, UHasselt - Hasselt University, Agoralaan Gebouw D, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium.
| | - Armando J Cruz-Laufer
- Research Group Zoology: Biodiversity and Toxicology, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, UHasselt - Hasselt University, Agoralaan Gebouw D, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Antoine Pariselle
- ISEM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, IRD, Montpellier, France; Laboratory "Biodiversity, Ecology and Genome", Mohammed V University in Rabat, Faculty of Sciences, 4 avenue Ibn Batouta, BP 1014, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Karen Smeets
- Research Group Zoology: Biodiversity and Toxicology, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, UHasselt - Hasselt University, Agoralaan Gebouw D, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Tom Artois
- Research Group Zoology: Biodiversity and Toxicology, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, UHasselt - Hasselt University, Agoralaan Gebouw D, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Maarten P M Vanhove
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37, Brno, Czech Republic; Research Group Zoology: Biodiversity and Toxicology, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, UHasselt - Hasselt University, Agoralaan Gebouw D, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
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