Molecular data reveal high diversity ofUvulifer(Trematoda: Diplostomidae) in Middle America, with the description of a new species

Abstract

Members of the genus Uvulifer are distributed worldwide and infect aquatic snails and freshwater fishes as first and second intermediate hosts, respectively, and fish-eating birds (kingfishers) as definitive hosts. Metacercariae of Uvulifer spp. were collected from the fins and skin of 20 species of freshwater fishes in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and the adults were recovered from the intestine of kingfishers in four localities of Mexico. The genetic divergence among 76 samples (64 metacercariae and 12 adults) was estimated by sequencing the 28S and 5.8S nuclear genes, as well as the internal transcribed spacers ITS1 and ITS2, and one mitochondrial gene (cox1). Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses inferred with each dataset showed a high genetic diversity within the genus Uvulifer across Middle America, revealing the existence of four genetic lineages that exhibit some level of host specificity to their second intermediate hosts. The metacercariae of lineage 1 were associated with characids and cyprinids in central and northern Mexico. Metacercariae of lineages 2 and 3 were associated with cichlids distributed widely across Middle America. The lack of adults of these lineages in kingfishers, in lineages 2 and 3, or the fact that just a few adult specimens were recovered, as in lineage 1, prevented a formal description of these species. The metacercariae of lineage 4 were found in poeciliids, across a distribution range comprising Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, and the adult was found in the green kingfisher in Mexico. The number of specimens sampled for lineage 4, for both gravid adults and metacercariae, allowed us to describe a new species, Uvulifer spinatus n. sp. We describe the new species herein and we discuss briefly the genetic diversity in Uvulifer spp. and the importance of using DNA sequences to properly characterize parasite diversity.

Nuclear and mitochondrial phylogenomics of the Diplostomoidea and Diplostomida (Digenea, Platyhelminthes)1

“…2 and 3 herein are consistent with an analysis of concatenated CO1 and rDNA spacer sequences by Blasco-Costa and Locke (2017). The association of Hysteromorpha, Alaria, Tylodelphys and Diplostomum is consistent with trees in Fraija-Fernández et al (2015), López-Jiménez et al (2017), and Olson et al (2003). Discrepancies (e.g., Hysteromorpha in Hernández-Mena et al, 2017) are typically associated with poor nodal support.…”

“…Posthodiplostomum , though nominally part of the family, is separate from and basal to a clade composed of other diplostomids and the Strigeidae. Posthodiplostomum belongs to the Crassiphialinae Sudarikov, 1960 and is consistently recovered with other members of this subfamily (e.g., Uvulifer, Bolbophorus, Ornithodiplostomum, Mesoophorodiplostomum and Posthodiplostomum in Athokpam and Tandon, 2014; Blasco-Costa and Locke, 2017; Hernández-Mena et al, 2017; López-Jiménez et al, 2017; Sereno-Uribe et al, 2018; Locke et al, 2010, see fig. S4).…”

Phylogenetic position of Sphincterodiplostomum Dubois, 1936 (Digenea: Diplostomoidea) with description of a second species from Pantanal, Brazil

“…We hypothesize that the genus Sphincterodiplostomum contains additional not-yet-described species as has been recently demonstrated for several other diplostomoidean genera, such as Crassiphiala Van Haitsma, 1925, Hysteromorpha Lutz, 1931 and Uvulifer Yamaguti, 1934 (e.g. Locke et al ., 2018; López-Jiménez et al ., 2018; Achatz et al ., 2019a, c).…”

A morphological and molecular study of adults and metacercariae ofHysteromorpha triloba(Rudolpi, 1819), Lutz 1931 (Diplostomidae) from the Neotropical region

“…For instance, the genetic divergence among isolates of Tylodelphys sp., T. mashonense, T. excavata, T. aztecae and T. scheuringi ranged from 0 to 1.4% (Chibwana et al ., 2013, 2015; Otachi et al ., 2015; García-Varela et al ., 2016; Blasco-Costa et al ., 2017), and among isolates of Diplostomum mergi, D. pseudospathaceum and D. baeri from 0 to 1.01% (Georgieva et al ., 2013; Selback et al ., 2015). Finally, genetic divergence among isolates of Uvulifer spinatus ranged from 0 to 1.8% (López-Jimenez et al ., 2017). With respect to ITS1, 5.8S and ITS2, the genetic divergence estimated among the 19 isolates (5 metacercariae, 10 adults from the Neotropical region plus 4 isolates from the Nearctic region) of H .…”

“…(Blasco-Costa et al ., 2017) and from 0 to 0.4% among isolates of D. baeri (see Blasco-Costa et al ., 2014). Finally, among isolates of Uvulifer spinatus genetic divergence ranged from 0 to 1.4% (López-Jimenez et al ., 2017).…”