Contracaecum bioccai n. sp. from the brown pelican Pelecanus occidentalis (L.) in Colombia (Nematoda: Anisakidae): morphology, molecular evidence and its genetic relationship with congeners from fish-eating birds

Abstract

Contracaecum bioccai n. sp. is described from the brown pelican Pelecanus occidentalis (L.) in northern Colombia (Totumo Marsh) based on 20 enzyme loci studied using multilocus allozyme electrophoresis. Moreover, genetic relationships between the new taxon and related congeners are presented based on allozyme data-sets and sequence analyses (519 bp) of the mtDNA-cox2 gene. Fixed allele differences were found at some of the allozyme loci analysed in comparison with other Contracaecum spp. from pelicans and cormorants [i.e. the sibling species of the C. rudolphii Hartwich, 1964 complex, C. septentrionale Kreis, 1955, C. micropapillatum (Stossich, 1890), C. microcephalum (Rudolphi, 1809) and C. pelagicum Johnston & Mawson, 1942]. The genetic distance, at the allozyme level, between C. bioccai n. sp. and its congeners ranged from D ( Nei ) = 0.80 versus C. septentrionale to D ( Nei ) = 1.40 versus C. micropapillatum. The genetic distance at the mtDNA cox-2 level ranged, on average, from K-2P = 0.12 versus the C. rudolphii species complex to K-2P = 0.15 versus C. micropapillatum. An overall concordant tree topology, obtained from UPGMA and NJ tree analyses inferred from allozyme data, as well as from MP, UPGMA and NJ inferred from mtDNA-cox2 sequence analysis, showed C. bioccai n. sp. as a separated lineage to the other Contracaecum spp. A concordant result was also obtained by PCA analysis based on both the allozyme and mtDNA cox-2 data-sets. All of the tree topologies, derived from the phylogenetic analysis inferred from both allozymes and mtDNA data-sets, were in substantial agreement and depicted C. bioccai as closely related to the sibling species of the C. rudolphii complex (C. rudolphii A and C. rudolphii B) and C. septentrionale. Morphological analysis and a differential diagnosis based on male specimens of C. bioccai, which had been genetically characterised by both allozyme markers and mtDNA sequences analysis with respect to morphologically related congeners, enabled the detection of differences in a numbers of characters, including spicule length, the morphology of the distal end of the spicule and the distribution patterns of the distal caudal papillae.

Molecular and morphological characterization of Contracaecum pelagicum (Nematoda) parasitizing Spheniscus magellanicus (Chordata) from Brazilian waters

“…The AT rich composition found has already been reported in literature for Nematode mtDNA cox-2 region (THOMAS; WILSON, 1991;NADLER;HUDSPETH, 2000;JEX et al, 2008). Mattiucci et al (2008) and Garbin et al (2013) found values of AT bases frequencies that were very similar to the ones found in this C. pelagicum study.…”

“…Few genetic studies of C. pelagicum were performed by Mattiucci et al (2008) and Garbin et al (2011Garbin et al ( , 2013 from the intermediate host, the anchovy Engraulis anchoita Hubbs and Marini, 1935, and from the definitive hosts S. magellanicus and Phalacrocorax atriceps King PP, 1828 from Argentina. However, there are no molecular data of Contracaecum species recovered from penguins found in the Brazilian coast.…”

Genetic relationships among species ofContracaecumRailliet & Henry, 1912 andPhocascarisHöst, 1932 (Nematoda: Anisakidae) from pinnipeds inferred from mitochondrialcox2sequences, and congruence with allozyme data

“…The same mtDNA region was demonstrated to be useful in distinguishing closely related anisakid taxa previously characterized by allozyme markers, belonging to the genus Anisakis (Valentini et al, 2006), and to the genus Contracaecum maturing in fish-eating birds . The genetic divergence of mtDNA here estimated among Contracaecum from seals is of the same level as that previously found between other anisakid species (Valentini et al, 2006;Mattiucci et al, 2008). Bootstrap analysis has revealed an overall high congruence between the genetic relationships proposed for this group of anisakid species inferred from two different data sets (nuclear and mitochondrial).…”

Tepeli Pelikanda (Pelecanus crispus) Contracaecum sp. (Ascaridida: Anisakidae) Enfeksiyonu Olgusu

“…Up to now, three species of parasite; C. multipapillatum, C. gibsoni and C. overstreeti have been detected from Pelecanus crispus. However, some other Contracaecum species have been reported from other genus of Pelicanidae 6,8 . Diagnosis of Contracaecum species from fisheating birds can be conducted by using morphological characteristics such as the length of the spicules, the morphology of the distal end of the spicule, and the bifurcation of the interlabial tip.…”

“…Upon examination, they were identified as Contracaecum sp. (Ascaridida: Anisakidae) [5][6][7] ( Fig. 1.B and 1.D).…”