Dive into the sea: first molecular phylogenetic evidence of host expansion from terrestrial/freshwater to marine organisms in Mermithidae (Nematoda: Mermithida)
Kakui, K.; Shimada, D. (2022). Dive into the sea: first molecular phylogenetic evidence of host expansion from terrestrial/freshwater to marine organisms in Mermithidae (Nematoda: Mermithida). J. Helminthol. 96: e33. https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022149x22000256
In: Journal of Helminthology. Cambridge University Press: London. ISSN 0022-149X; e-ISSN 1475-2697, more
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| Author keywords |
Endoparasite, intermediate host, phylogeny, roundworm |
| Abstract |
We report the first mermithid nematode found to be parasitic in a marine tanaidacean crustacean. Ten host tanaidaceans were collected from a depth of 52 m in Otsuchi Bay, Iwate, Japan, north-western Pacific, and identified as a species in the tanaidid genus Zeuxo Templeton, 1840. Nematodes occurred in the host's body cavity; in one case, at least two individuals inhabited a single host. We provide a brief description and illustrations of the morphology of the nematode. In a phylogenetic reconstruction based on the 18S ribosomal RNA gene, the nematode nested in a clade otherwise containing mermithids from terrestrial or freshwater hosts, showing an expansion in host utilization in Mermithidae Braun, 1883 from terrestrial/freshwater hosts to a marine organism. |
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