Evolutionary Insights into Dactylogyrus Parasites and Their Cyprinoid Hosts in the Middle East
| Autoři | |
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| Rok publikování | 2025 |
| Druh | Konferenční abstrakty |
| Fakulta / Pracoviště MU | |
| Citace | |
| Popis | The previous studies have focused on the phylogeny and biogeography of Dactylogyrus species in the peri-Mediterranean region, however, knowledge of the diversity and biogeographic relationships of these monogeneans in area of the Middle East remain largely neglected. Because of reciprocal coevolutionary interactions in host-parasite systems, the biogeography of parasites often reflects that of their hosts. Cyprinoid fish, which host Dactylogyrus, are highly endemic to the Middle East. We performed the study aimed to investigate the diversity, phylogeny, and host specificity of Dactylogyrus in this region to trace the historical dispersion of cyprinoid fish through the phylogenetic relationships of their associated Dactylogyrus parasites. From 2018 to 2023, multiple field expeditions were conducted in Iran, Iraq, and Turkey, the gills of 89 cyprinoid species were examined for the presence of Dactylogyrus parasites. A total of 72 Dactylogyrus species were identified. Among them, Dactylogyrus vistulae had the widest host range, infecting 24 cyprinoid species. Fish of the genus Squalius were found to harbor the largest number of Dactylogyrus species. The study revealed 16 potentially new Dactylogyrus species. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using the 18S rDNA, 28S rDNA, and complete ITS1 regions. Several Dactylogyrus species exhibited high intraspecific genetic variability. Using DNA sequences of Dactylogyrus species collected with the Middle East and those retrieved from GenBank, eight major clades were revealed from the phylogenetic tree. Species from the Middle East were present in five clades, along with species from Europe, North Africa, and East Asia, highlighting the role of the Middle East in Dactylogyrus diversification. We also performed the mapping of morphological characters of attachment organ (haptor) onto the parasite phylogeny revealing the evolutionary patterns in haptor adaptation. This study was supported Czech Science Foundation, project no. GA20-13539S. |
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