TY - JOUR

T1 - Species diversity of the genus Podocotyle Dujardin, 1845 (Trematoda, Opecoelidae) in the White Sea: morphological, molecular and life history evidences

AU - Соколов, Сергей Геннадьевич

AU - Щенков, Сергей Владимирович

AU - Городилова, Елизавета Юрьевна

AU - Денисова, Софья Александровна

PY - 2024/10/4

Y1 - 2024/10/4

N2 - Podocotyle is a genus of marine opecoelid digeneans, widespread in fishes and invertebrates (gastropods and crustaceans) in the neritic and littoral zones of mainly the Northern Hemisphere. The phylogeny, taxonomy and evolution of digeneans of this genus are quite mysterious due to the wide distribution of these parasites and their species richness. For a number of representatives of Podocotyle spp. a wide range of phenotypic variability has been described, which prevents species identification based solely on morphological characteristics. In this study, we apply molecular and morphological techniques to identify Podocotyle spp. from vertebrate and invertebrate hosts inhabiting the White Sea. Specimens of Podocotyle spp. were collected from pleuronectid and zoarcid fishes, as well as from periwinkles of the intertidal zone, and were studied using light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and molecular phylogenetic methods. A combination of molecular and morphological approaches revealed Podocotyle angulata and three species-level taxa awaiting nomenclatural proposals, Podocotyle sp. of Denisova et al. 2023, P. atomon sensu lato and Podocotyle cf. angulata of Sokolov et al. 2023. Conspecificity of one type of cercariae released from infected Littorina obtusata and L. saxatilis with adult digeneans identified as P. atomon sensu lato was established. We provide detailed descriptions of the cotylomicrocercous larvae of P. atomon sensu lato and Podocotyle sp. of Denisova et al. 2023, focusing on the features of the surface morphology of their tegument and associated structures in order to determine the general and diagnostic characteristics of these species.

AB - Podocotyle is a genus of marine opecoelid digeneans, widespread in fishes and invertebrates (gastropods and crustaceans) in the neritic and littoral zones of mainly the Northern Hemisphere. The phylogeny, taxonomy and evolution of digeneans of this genus are quite mysterious due to the wide distribution of these parasites and their species richness. For a number of representatives of Podocotyle spp. a wide range of phenotypic variability has been described, which prevents species identification based solely on morphological characteristics. In this study, we apply molecular and morphological techniques to identify Podocotyle spp. from vertebrate and invertebrate hosts inhabiting the White Sea. Specimens of Podocotyle spp. were collected from pleuronectid and zoarcid fishes, as well as from periwinkles of the intertidal zone, and were studied using light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and molecular phylogenetic methods. A combination of molecular and morphological approaches revealed Podocotyle angulata and three species-level taxa awaiting nomenclatural proposals, Podocotyle sp. of Denisova et al. 2023, P. atomon sensu lato and Podocotyle cf. angulata of Sokolov et al. 2023. Conspecificity of one type of cercariae released from infected Littorina obtusata and L. saxatilis with adult digeneans identified as P. atomon sensu lato was established. We provide detailed descriptions of the cotylomicrocercous larvae of P. atomon sensu lato and Podocotyle sp. of Denisova et al. 2023, focusing on the features of the surface morphology of their tegument and associated structures in order to determine the general and diagnostic characteristics of these species.

KW - Cercariae

KW - Life cycle

KW - Limanda

KW - Littorina

KW - Platichthys

KW - Zoarces

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/320e3072-102e-3720-9e18-3f808cc6f543/

U2 - 10.1007/s00300-024-03313-1

DO - 10.1007/s00300-024-03313-1

M3 - Article

JO - Polar Biology

JF - Polar Biology

SN - 0722-4060

ER -