Uncovering deep mysteries: The underwater life of an amphibious louse

Leonardi, María Soledad; Lazzari, Cláudio R.

doi:10.1016/j.jinsphys.2014.10.016

Cited by 19 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 23 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The eggs of pinniped lice do not survive being submerged (Murray, ; Leonardi & Lazzari, ), which is the main restriction on the survival of lice on amphibious hosts. As a consequence, lice reproduction can only occur when their hosts remain on land for a substantial amount of time ( c .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a consequence, lice reproduction can only occur when their hosts remain on land for a substantial amount of time ( c . 10 days), thus constraining the number of louse generations per year by the duration of haul‐out periods of their hosts (Aznar et al , ; Leonardi & Lazzari, ). Moreover, transmission between hosts depends on physical contact between hosts (Demastes et al , ; Toloza et al , ; Galloway, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The eggs of pinniped lice do not survive being submerged (Murray, 1976;Leonardi & Lazzari, 2014), which is the main restriction on the survival of lice on amphibious hosts. As a consequence, lice reproduction can only occur when their hosts remain on land for a substantial amount of time (c. 10 days), thus constraining the number of louse generations per year by the duration of haul-out periods of their hosts (Aznar et al, 2009;Leonardi & Lazzari, 2014). Moreover, transmission between hosts depends on physical contact between hosts (Demastes et al, 1998;Toloza et al, 2009;Galloway, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Phylogenomic analysis of seal lice reveals codivergence with their hosts

Leonardi

Herrera

Sweet

et al. 2019

Systematic Entomology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Lice are considered a model system for studying the process of cospeciation because they are obligate and permanent parasites and are often highly host‐specific. Among lice, species in the family Echinophthiriidae Enderlein (Anoplura) are unique in that they infest mammalian hosts with an amphibious lifestyle, i.e. pinnipeds and the river otter. There is evidence that the ancestor of this group infested the terrestrial ancestor of pinnipeds, which suggests these parasites coevolved with their hosts during the transition to marine environments. However, there has been no previous study investigating the phylogenetic relationships among sucking lice parasitizing seals and sea lions. To uncover the evolutionary history of these parasites, we obtained genomic data for Antarctophthirus microchir Trouessart and Neumann (from two hosts), Antarctophthirus carlinii Leonardi et al., Antarctophthirus lobodontis Enderlein, Antarctophthirus ogmorhini Enderlein, Lepidophthirus macrorhini Enderlein, and Proechinophthirus fluctus Ferris. From genomic sequence reads, we assembled > 1000 nuclear genes and used these data to infer a phylogenetic tree for these lice. We also used the assembled genes in combination with read‐mapping to estimate heterozygosity and effective population size from individual lice. Our analysis supports the monophyly of lice from pinnipeds and uncovers phylogenetic relationships within the group. Surprisingly, we found that A. carlinii, A. lobodontis, and A. ogmorhini have very little genetic divergence among them, whereas the divergence between different geographic representatives of A. microchir indicate that they are possibly different species. Nevertheless, our phylogeny of Echinophthiriidae suggests that these lice have consistently codiverged with their hosts with minimal host switching. Population genomic metrics indicate that louse effective population size is linked to host demographics, which further highlights the close association between pinnipeds and their lice.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Phylogenomic analysis of seal lice reveals codivergence with their hosts

Leonardi

Herrera

Sweet

et al. 2019

Systematic Entomology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As a result, the lice have been able to maintain considerable genetic contact across their range (Banks et al, ). Previous studies of terrestrial ectoparasites that are exposed to marine conditions have focussed on the sucking lice of seals and the river otter (Echinophthiriidae) and have only described parasite loads, transmission dynamics within colonies, preferred attachment locations, and morphological adaptations to marine conditions (Kim, , ; Kim & Emerson, ; Leonardi & Lazzari, ; Leonardi & Palma, ; Murray & Nicholls, ; Murray, Smith, & Soucek, ). The present study therefore represents one of the first to characterise the dispersal capacity of a seemingly host‐species specific terrestrial ectoparasite exposed to marine conditions on an aquatically dispersing host (but see McCoy et al, ; McCoy, Boulinier, et al, ; Wessels et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tandem host‐parasite dispersal inferred from similarities in phylogeographical patterns among Little Penguins and their ‘terrestrial’ ectoparasites

Moon

Chown

Fraser

2019

Journal of Biogeography

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aim Organisms with poor intrinsic dispersal capacity, such as parasites, often rely entirely on transport with host species that have a greater dispersal capacity. Penguins, for example, are exploited by terrestrial ectoparasites when they come ashore to breed. Recent research indicates that Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor and E. novaehollandiae) hard ticks (Ixodes eudyptidis and I. kohlsi) may be capable of surviving short periods (days) at sea with their hosts, but their capacity to survive longer voyages (weeks) is not known. We here aimed to assess whether phylogeographical patterns in Little Penguins and their ticks indicate that the terrestrial ectoparasites are able to disperse long distances at sea with their swimming hosts. Location Southern Australia and New Zealand. Taxon Ixodes eudyptidis and I. kohlsi ticks. Methods We conducted a broad‐scale genomic assessment of Little Penguin ticks from across their hosts’ ranges in Australia and New Zealand. Using genotyping by sequencing, we generated SNP data sets from ticks from 14 penguin colonies, and analysed phylogeographical structure. We included ticks from some sympatric flighted seabirds to verify host specificity. Results We resolved two distinct lineages of Ixodes from Little Penguins, with one restricted to Australia, and the other found throughout New Zealand and in low numbers at some eastern Australian sites. Both lineages exhibited phylogeographical structure consistent with patterns observed in their hosts, with some evidence of occasional oceanic dispersal, including across the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. Ticks from sympatric short‐tailed shearwaters (Ardenna tenuirostris), which disperse aerially, were genetically distinct from those collected from Little Penguins, supporting prior evidence of host specificity in seabird ticks. Main conclusions The most parsimonious explanation for our results is that ticks can travel at sea with Little Penguins. We infer that some terrestrial ectoparasites associated with aquatically dispersing hosts have evolved the capacity to survive oceanic voyages.

show abstract

“…Thus, findings on this parasite were reported from all six species of the otariid subfamily Otariinae, the sea lions, which show a wide geographical distribution and occur in both hemispheres (Kim et al 1975 ; Leonardi and Palma 2013 ; Leonardi et al 2014 ). Previous findings reported on A. microchir from free-ranging South American sea lion ( Otaria flavescens ) pups from Argentina and included re-description (Leonardi et al 2009 ), morphological studies (Leonardi et al 2012a ) and numerous publications on biology (Leonardi et al 2012b ; Leonardi and Lazzari 2014 ), transmission (Leonardi et al 2013 ), and population dynamics (Aznar et al 2009 ) of this parasite. First description of A. microchir parasitizing O. flavescens in Chile was published in 2008 (Crovetto et al 2008 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Antarctophthirus microchir infestation in synanthropic South American sea lion (Otaria flavescens) males diagnosed by a novel non-invasive method

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Antarctophthirus microchir is a sucking louse species belonging to the family Echinophthiriidae and has been reported to parasitize all species of the subfamily Otariinae, the sea lions. Former studies on this ectoparasite mainly required fixation, immobilization, or death of host species and especially examinations of adult male sea lions are still very rare. Between March and May 2018, adult individuals of a unique “urban” bachelor group of South American sea lions ( Otaria flavescens ) living directly in the city of Valdivia, Chile, were studied regarding their ectoparasite infestation status. For first time, a non-invasive method in the form of a lice comb screwed on a telescopic rod and grounded with adhesive tape was used for sample taking process. Overall, during combing different stages of A. microchir were detected in 4/5 O. flavescens individuals, especially at the junction between the back and hind flippers. Our findings represent the first report of A. microchir infesting individuals of this synanthropic colony and fulfilling complete life cycle in a sea lion group despite inhabiting freshwater and in absence of females/pups. Our “telescopic lice comb apparatus” offers a new strategy to collect different stages of ectoparasites and a range of epidermal material, such as fur coat hair and superficial skin tissue for a broad spectrum of research fields in wildlife sciences in an unmolested and stress reduced manner. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00436-019-06273-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract

Uncovering deep mysteries: The underwater life of an amphibious louse

Cited by 19 publications

References 23 publications

Phylogenomic analysis of seal lice reveals codivergence with their hosts

Phylogenomic analysis of seal lice reveals codivergence with their hosts

Tandem host‐parasite dispersal inferred from similarities in phylogeographical patterns among Little Penguins and their ‘terrestrial’ ectoparasites

Antarctophthirus microchir infestation in synanthropic South American sea lion (Otaria flavescens) males diagnosed by a novel non-invasive method

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About