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Integrated evidence reveals a new species of Cosmocerca (Ascaridomorpha: Cosmocercoidea) from the Asiatic toad Bufo gargarizans Cantor (Amphibia: Anura)

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Abstract

Species of Cosmocerca Diesing, 1861 (Ascaridomorpha: Cosmocercoidea), are common nematode parasites of amphibians. In the present study, a new species of Cosmocerca, namely C. simile n. sp., was described using light and scanning electron microscopy, and sequencing different nuclear and mitochondrial genetic markers (i.e. small ribosomal DNA (18S), large ribosomal DNA (28S), internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1)). Cosmocerca simile n. sp. differs from its congeners based on body size, morphology and number of plectanes, relative length of spicules and gubernaculum and spicules to total body length and morphology and length of tail. Molecular analysis showed no nucleotide polymorphisms among different individuals of the new species regarding nuclear DNA. Very low intraspecific nucleotide variation (0.52–0.78%) was detected in cox1 mtDNA. In contrast, the level of interspecific nucleotide variation between C. simile n. sp. and its congeners were distinctly higher (2.74–18.1% in the partial ITS region and 10.2–13.5% in the partial cox1 region, respectively) than that of intraspecific variation. Phylogenetic analyses using maximum likelihood (ML) inference based on the partial ITS and cox1 sequence data both supported the new species to be a member of the genus Cosmocerca, and formed a sister relationship to C. japonica. The newly obtained genetic data are important for further studies of DNA-based taxonomy, population genetics and phylogenetics of the Cosmocercoidea.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to Dr. František Moravec (Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic), professor Hideo Hasegawa (Faculty of Medicine, Oita University, Japan), for providing important literature.

Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province (C2019205094), the Support Program for 100 Excellent Innovative Talents of Hebei Province (SLRC2019033), the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB26000000) and the Youth Top Talent Support Program of Hebei Province for Dr. Liang Li.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, 20 East Road of 2nd South Ring, Yuhua District, Shijiazhuang, 050024, Hebei Province, People’s Republic of China

    Hui-Xia Chen, Lu-Ping Zhang, Ya-Yu Feng & Liang Li

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  1. Hui-Xia Chen
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  2. Lu-Ping Zhang
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  3. Ya-Yu Feng
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  4. Liang Li
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Correspondence to Liang Li.

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This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Hebei Normal University as complying with the Animal protection law of the People’s Republic of China.

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Section Editor: Hiroshi Sato

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Chen, HX., Zhang, LP., Feng, YY. et al. Integrated evidence reveals a new species of Cosmocerca (Ascaridomorpha: Cosmocercoidea) from the Asiatic toad Bufo gargarizans Cantor (Amphibia: Anura). Parasitol Res 119, 1795–1802 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-020-06687-3

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