Phenotypic plasticity, genetic structure and systematic position of Neoechinorhynchus emyditoides Fisher, 1960 (Acanthocephala: Neoechinorhynchidae): a parasite of emydid turtles from the Nearctic and Neotropical regions

Autor: Ana Lucia Sereno-Uribe, Alejandra López-Jiménez, Marcelo Tonatiuh González-García, Carlos Daniel Pinacho-Pinacho, Rodrigo Macip Ríos, Martín García-Varela
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: Parasitology. 149:991-1002
ISSN: 1469-8161
0031-1820
DOI: 10.1017/s003118202200049x
Popis: The taxonomy of the 10 recognized Neoechinorhynchus species associated with emydid turtles is complex due to the morphological conservatism. In the present study, specimens of N. emyditoides from northern and southeastern Mexico exhibit great phenotypic plasticity on its diagnostic characteristics. We sequenced three molecular markers: the internal transcribed spacers ITS1, ITS2 and 5.8S gene, the D2 + D3 domains of the large subunit from nuclear DNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) from mitochondrial DNA. Sequences of the nuclear molecular markers were aligned and compared with other congeneric species associated with emydids available in GenBank. Phylogenetic analyses supported the polyphyly of Neoechinorhynchus. The species from emydids formed a clade, which was subdivided into five subclades that correspond with each species analysed (N. pseudemydis, N. chrysemydis, N. emydis, N. schmidti and N. emyditoides). To understand better the genetic structure of N. emyditoides a haplotype network was inferred with 29 cox1 sequences, revealing the presence of 13 haplotypes, two of which were shared and 11 were unique. The high values of fixation index, Fst (0.4227–0.8925) detected between the two populations from southeastern and the two from northern Mexico indicated low genetic flow among the populations. Our data suggest that the Neoechinorhynchus species associated with emydid turtles diversified in the eastern USA and that of N. emyditoides expanded its distribution range reached southeastern Mexico.
Databáze: OpenAIRE