Systematic Position of Pseudocorynosoma and Andracantha (Acanthocephala, Polymorphidae) Based on Nuclear and Mitochondrial Gene Sequences

Abstract

Species of Pseudocorynosoma are North and South American acanthocephalans that use waterfowl as definitive hosts and amphipods as intermediate hosts, whereas species of Andracantha occur in fish-eating birds with a worldwide distribution. Pseudocorynosoma and Andracantha were originally described as Corynosoma (now restricted to endoparasites of marine mammals). Morphologically, Andracantha is distinct from other genera of Polymorphidae in possessing 2 fields of spines on the trunk, whereas Corynosoma and Pseudocorynosoma have a single field. A recent phylogenetic hypothesis based on morphological characters suggested that Andracantha is closely related to Corynosoma, whereas Pseudocorynosoma was of uncertain phylogenetic position within the Polymorphidae. To test the systematic affinities of these 3 genera, we sequenced 2 nuclear genes (SSU and LSU ribosomal DNA) and 1 mitochondrial gene (cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1; cox 1) of species representing Corynosoma, Andracantha, and Pseudocorynosoma and analyzed the data, including available sequences of other polymorphids. Maximum parsimony (MP), maximum likelihood (ML), and Bayesian analyses of the combined (SSU + LSU) sequences and the concatenated data of 3 genes (SSU + LSU + cox 1) placed Andracantha as the sister taxon to Corynosoma with robust support values. All analyses also showed that Pseudocorynosoma is an independent lineage that does not share a common ancestry with Andracantha and Corynosoma. These phylogenetic hypotheses suggest that birds were the ancestral hosts of polymorphids and that the association of Corynosoma with marine mammals represents a subsequent episode of colonization.

Morphological and molecular characterization of two new species ofAndracantha(Acanthocephala: Polymorphidae) from New Zealand shags (Phalacrocoracidae) and penguins (Spheniscidae) with a key to the species

“…Figure 5 shows a phylogenetic hypothesis depicted by ML analysis of the combined cox 1 and LSU dataset. Choice of outgroups was made based on a published molecular phylogeny (see García-Varela et al, 2009, 2013). This tree shows those genera of Polymorphidae included in the dataset to be monophyletic, with the exception of the genus Polymorphus .…”

“…Phylogenetic analysis of the genera, based on sequences of two nuclear and one mitochondrial gene, supported the monophyly of the family and of nine of the genera analysed ( Andracantha Schmidt, 1975, Corynosoma Lühe, 1904, Bolbosoma Porta, 1908, Profilicollis Meyer, 1931, Pseudocorynosoma Aznar, Pérez-Ponce de León & Raga, 2006, Southwellina Witenburg, 1932, Arhythmorhynchus Lühe, 1911, Hexaglandula Petrochenko, 1950 and Ibirhynchus García-Valera, Pérez-Ponce de León, Aznar & Nadler, 2011), but not the genus Polymorphus Lühe, 1911 (see García-Valera et al, 2013). The status of Andracantha as a separate genus had been strongly supported by genetic data (García-Varela et al, 2009).…”

Prevalence and molecular characterisation of Acanthocephala in pinnipedia of the North and Baltic Seas

“…Parts the of mitochondrially encoded cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) DNA were amplified using 5 μl 10x Taq PCR buffer II (1 mM), 2.25 μl dNTP mix (0.9 mM each), each 5 μl primer Cox1FW and Cox1Rev (0.2 pmol) ( Folmer et al, 1994 , García-Varela et al, 2009 ), 0.25 μl Perfect Taq DNA Polymerase (5 PRIME GmbH, Germany) (0.025 U/μl), 5 μl template DNA and 27.5 μl DEPC treated water. Cycling conditions comprised an initial denaturation at 94 °C for 3 min, followed by 40 cycles of 94 °C for 1 min, 40 °C for 1 min, 72 °C for 1 min and subsequent final elongation at 72 °C for 5 min.…”

“…Consequently, this marker has been used in several studies to discriminate species in, including Corynosoma spp. and related acanthocephalan genera ( García-Varela et al, 2009 ). In addition, Blouin (2002) described the internal transcribed spacer (ITS)1–5,8S rRNA-ITS2-complex (ITS-complex) as an excellent tool for DNA diagnostics to distinguish between species.…”

The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Southwellina hispida supports monophyly of Palaeacanthocephala (Acanthocephala: Polymorphida)

“…This species uses crayfish as an intermediate host and is an intestinal parasite of a variety of fisheating birds such as herons, cormorants, grebes, pelicans, and eagles. Various paratenic hosts such as amphibians, reptiles, and teleosts are also known to be involved in the life cycle [27,28]. In the present study, we determined the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of S. hispida (Palaeacanthocephala: Polymorphida), and performed comparative analyses of amino acid sequences and genome organization with other platyzoan species, including syndermatan, to assess phylogenetic relationships within Acanthocephala.…”