The tapestry of the Middle East: diversity and phylogeny of Dactylogyrus parasites reveal the evolutionary pattern in them and their cyprinoid fish hosts
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| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Description | Several recent studies explored the diversity and phylogeny of host-specific Dactylogyrus (Monogenea), gill parasites of cyprinoid fish, within the peri-Mediterranean region. However, the diversity and phylogeny of Dactylogyrus species in the Middle East are neglected. To reveal cyprinoid fish's historical dispersion through their Dactylogyrus species' phylogenetic relationships, we aimed to investigate the phylogeny of this genus in the Middle East. Between 2018 and 2023, several field trips in Iran, Iraq, and Turkey were conducted, and the gills of 89 cyprinoid species were examined for the presence of Dactylogyrus species. Seventy-two Dactylogyrus species were identified. Dactylogyrus vistulae, with 24 host species, has the widest host range in the Middle East. On the hosts, Squalius spp. harbored most Dactylogyrus species. Sixteen potentially new Dactylogyrus species for science were discovered. 18S rDNA, 28S rDNA, and the complete ITS1 region were used for phylogenetic reconstruction. Several Dactylogyrus species exhibited high genetic intraspecific variabilities. Retrieving Dactylogyrus DNA sequences from GenBank and incorporating them into newly obtained sequences revealed eight major clades in the phylogenetic tree. Middle Eastern species were present in five clades alongside European, North African, and East Asian species, thus confirming the Middle East's significant role in diversifying Dactylogyrus. Mapping morphological characters onto the phylogeny revealed the evolution pattern of parasite haptor adaptation. |
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