Central European parasitic flatworms of the Cyclocoelidae Stossich, 1902 (Trematoda: Plagiorchiida): molecular and comparative morphological analysis suggests the reclassification of Cyclocoelum obscurum (Leidy, 1887) into the Harrahium Witenberg, 1926

Abstract

Cyclocoelidae Stossich, 1902 are medium-sized to large digenean bird parasites. Although these parasites bear few visible autapomorphic signs, and their diagnostic characters are unstable in response to the pressure applied during preparation, the numerous hitherto suggested re-classifications within the family have not been supported by any molecular analysis. We analyse here cyclocoelids found during the extensive examination of central European birds performed from 1962 to 2016, provide comparative measurements, host spectra, prevalence and intensity, and provide and analyse sequences of four DNA loci of five of the cyclocoelid species. Cyclocoleum Brandes, 1892 appears paraphyletic; thus we suggest the re-classification of Cyclocoleum obscurum (Leidy, 1887) as Harrahium obscurum (Leidy, 1887) Sitko and Heneberg comb. n. Molecular phylogenetics questioned also the validity of Cyclocoelinae Stossich, 1902 and Hyptiasminae Dollfus, 1948, which formed a single clade, whereas Allopyge Johnston, 1913, Prohyptiasmus Witenberg, 1923 and Morishitium Witenberg, 1928 formed another clade. Haematotrephinae Dollfus, 1948 are newly characterized as having a pretesticular or intertesticular ovary that forms a triangle with the testes. Analyses of non-European genera of the Cyclocoelidae and an examination of the position of families within Echinostomata La Rue, 1926 are needed.

Diagnóstico morfológico y molecular de Cyclocoelum mutabile (Trematoda: Cyclocoelidae) en el Perú

“…Se amplifico un total de 414 pares de bases (pb) del gen cox1 para los tres especímenes de C. mutabile (MH091805 -MH091807) y mostraron una identidad del 100%. Estos fueron comparados con el único registro de C. mutabile del GenBank (acceso N o KU877883) (Sitko et al 2017), y tuvieron una identidad del 96%. La amplificación parcial del gen nad1 de C. mutabile del presente estudio (MH091808 -MH091810) fue de 455pb, y mostraron una identidad del 100%.…”

“…La amplificación parcial del gen nad1 de C. mutabile del presente estudio (MH091808 -MH091810) fue de 455pb, y mostraron una identidad del 100%. Las secuencias nad1 obtenidas de C. mutabile fueron comparadas con los registros del GenBank (acceso N o KX097823 y KU877891) (Sitko et al 2017), y mostraron una identidad de 97% (Fig. 2).…”

First finding of Morishitium polonicum (Trematoda, Cyclocoelidae) in Turdus merula and Coccothraustes coccothraustes in Russia

“…The typical host of the parasite is Turdus philomelos Brehm, 1831. Morishitium polonicum was previously registered in thrushes in Poland (Machalska, 1980;Sulgostowska & Czaplinska, 1987), Italy (Visconti et al, 1988;Bona et al, 1995;Galosi et al, 2019), the Czech Republic (Sitko et al, 2017), and Spain (Jaume-Ramis & Pinya, 2018). The parasite was also noted in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Uzbekistan as Neocyclocoelum elongatum (Harrah, 1921) (Feizullaev, 1980).…”

Air sac trematodes: Morishitium polonicum as a newly identified cause of death in the common blackbird (Turdus merula)

“…For molecular analysis, DNA was extracted and amplified as described by Sitko et al (2017). The primers used targeted the mitochondrial CO1 and ND1 loci (Bowles et al, 1992; Morgan and Blair, 1998; Bray et al, 1999) and the amplified DNA was subjected to bidirectional Sanger sequencing using an ABI 3130 DNA Analyser (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA).…”

“…Among helminths of Turdus spp., cestode, nematode, trematode and acanthocephalan species have been identified in various organs and systems (Slater, 1967; Martínez et al, 1977; Machalska, 1980; Ching, 1993; Perrucci et al, 1997; Mani et al, 1998; Literák and Sitko, 2006; Okulewicz et al, 2010; Hamer and Muzzall, 2013; Calegaro-Marques and Amato, 2014; Sitko and Zaleśny, 2014). In the respiratory system, the air sac cyclocoelid trematode species Cyclocoelum mutabile (Zeder, 1800), Morishitium dollfusi (Timon-David, 1950) and Morishitium polonicum (Machalska, 1980) have been reported (Martínez et al, 1977; Machalska, 1980; Sitko et al, 2017).…”