Coevolutionary patterns between host specific monogeneans of genus Dactylogyrus and Peri-mediterranean cyprinids
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| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Description | Recently, the popularity of cophylogenetic studies has rapidly increased. Using parasites as the additional tool for solving phylogenetic relationships among their hosts, we can shed more light to some unresolved or unclear evolutionary processes and historical dispersion of many taxa from animal or plant kingdoms. The parasites, belonging to the highly diversified genus Dactylogyrus Diesing, 1850 (Monogenea) are known for their narrow host specificity. These strictly specific parasites of cyprinids appear to be the suitable model organism to study evolutionary history of cyprinids and to help to elucidate the phylogenetic ambiguities among cyprinids. During 2014-2017 we collected Dactylogyrus specimens from 78 endemic cyprinid species of Balkan and Apennine Peninsulas. In total 57 species were identified from which 10 were recognized as potentially new for science. We already described one new species from endemic Aulopyge huegelii (Bosnia and Herzegovina) which was phylogenetically closely related to Dactylogyrus of Barbus and Luciobarbus [1]. In general, endemic cyprinids are parasitized by endemic Dactylogyrus and widely distributed Dactylogyrus species as well. While majority of cyprinids are parasitized by one or more Dactylogyrus species, several congeric species (e.g. representatives of Pelasgus) appears to harbour no Dactylogyrus, or are parasitized by this genus very rarely. Comparing the phylogenetic trees based on partitioned data of partial 18S rDNA combined with partial 28S rDNA (for parasites) and cytochrome b (for hosts) we revealed several coevolutionary scenarios. Phylogenetic reconstruction of Dactylogyrus revealed 4 strongly or moderately supported groups including endemic Dactylogyrus, but also widely distributed species. Several endemic cyprinids were parasitized by Dactylogyrus of different origins, such as Pachychilon pictum, which harbours 5 different species from 3 distinct evolutionary lineages [2]. The similar results were observed also among Iberian and North-western African cyprinids [3]. Application of cophylogenetic methods revealed significant coevolutionary signal between cyprinids of genera Aulopyge, Barbus and Luciobarbus and their respective Dactylogyrus, such as D. dyki, D. balkanicus, D. crivellius, D. petenyi, D. prespensis and 3 new Dactylogyrus species of Luciobarbus and Aulopyge. |
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