High phylogenetic diversity of the cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis) at two mitochondrial DNA markers

Abstract

The cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) (Bouché), is the most common flea species found on cats and dogs worldwide. We investigated the genetic identity of the cosmopolitan subspecies C. felis felis and evaluated diversity of cat fleas from Australia, Fiji, Thailand and Seychelles using mtDNA sequences from cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) and II (cox2) genes. Both cox1 and cox2 confirmed the high phylogenetic diversity and paraphyletic origin of C. felis felis. The African subspecies C. felis strongylus (Jordan) is nested within the paraphyletic C. felis felis. The south East Asian subspecies C. felis orientis (Jordan) is monophyletic and is supported by morphology. We confirm that Australian cat fleas belong to C. felis felis and show that in Australia they form two distinct phylogenetic clades, one common with fleas from Fiji. Using a barcoding approach, we recognize two putative species within C. felis (C. felis and C. orientis). Nucleotide diversity was higher in cox1 but COX2 outperformed COX1 in amino acid diversity. COX2 amino acid sequences resolve all phylogenetic clades and provide an additional phylogenetic signal. Both cox1 and cox2 resolved identical phylogeny and are suitable for population structure studies of Ctenocephalides species.

Isolation of Novel Trypanosomatid, Zelonia australiensis sp. nov. (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) Provides Support for a Gondwanan Origin of Dixenous Parasitism in the Leishmaniinae

“…A DNA extraction method described by Lawrence et al . [29] (S1 File) was employed that conserved the exoskeleton for downstream morphological identification.…”

Evidence for the presence of Ctenocephalides orientis in livestock dwellings in northwest Iran

“…Given the specific role of each species and its ecology in the epidemiological chain of disease transmission, the accurate identification of flea species and their distributions is of particular importance. Molecular markers can be useful for confirming species identification based on morphological characteristics and have been applied to identify and characterize closely related flea species (Lawrence et al ., , ). One commonly used molecular marker for species identification and phylogenetic analysis of fleas is the cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) (Lawrence et al ., ).…”

Ctenocephalides felis and Ctenocephalides canis: introgressive hybridization?

“…Within this order, the genus Ctenocephalides Stiles & Collins, 1930 is one of the most studied lineages because they tend to parasitize domestic animals such as dogs, cats or other pets which may play an important role as bridging hosts for fleas of different animals (Dobler & Pfeffer, ). Thirteen species and four subspecies are recognized within this genus (Beaucournu & Ménier, ; Lawrence et al , ) out of which Ctenocephalides felis and C. canis have been the most studied species by different authors (Gil Collado, , ; Beaucournu & Launay, ; Lewis, ; Beaucournu & Ménier, ; Ménier & Beaucournu, ; Linardi & Guimarães, ; Durden & Traub, ; Linardi & Santos, ). From a morphological point of view, four subspecies of C. felis have been distinguished: C. felis felis Bouché, 1835, C. felis strongylus Jordan, 1925, C. felis orientis Jordan, 1925 and C. felis damarensis Jordan, 1936 (Hopkins & Rothschild, ).…”

“…From a morphological point of view, four subspecies of C. felis have been distinguished: C. felis felis Bouché, 1835, C. felis strongylus Jordan, 1925, C. felis orientis Jordan, 1925 and C. felis damarensis Jordan, 1936 (Hopkins & Rothschild, ). However, only a few studies have been carried out based on molecular data (Vobis et al , ; Marrugal et al , ; Lawrence et al , , ). Thus, some authors have suggested that further molecular studies are needed in order to resolve and elucidate the genetic diversity of C. felis (Lawrence et al , ).…”