Analysis of the Ribosomal DNA Sequences of the MicrosporidiaThelohaniaandVairimorphaof Fire Ants

Sequences of the 16SrRNA gene of three microsporidia pathogenic to imported fire ants,Solenopsis invictaandSolenopsis richteri,were determined and compared to each other and 15 other species of microsporidia. The sequences of 2Thelohaniaspecies are nearly identical (99.2% identity), supporting light...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of invertebrate pathology 1998-09, Vol.72 (2), p.154-159
Main Authors: Moser, Bettina A, Becnel, James J, Maruniak, James, Patterson, Richard S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
microsporidia
ribosomal gene phylogeny
Solenopsis invicta
Solenopsis richteri
Thelohania solenopsae
Vairimorphasp
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Summary:Sequences of the 16SrRNA gene of three microsporidia pathogenic to imported fire ants,Solenopsis invictaandSolenopsis richteri,were determined and compared to each other and 15 other species of microsporidia. The sequences of 2Thelohaniaspecies are nearly identical (99.2% identity), supporting light-microscopic and ultrastructural evidence thatThelohania solenopsaeandThelohaniasp. are closely related but probably not conspecific. Sequence comparisons further revealed thatVairimorphasp. has a sequence identity of about 73% with the twoThelohaniaspecies andVairimorpha necatrix,the type species of the genusVairimorpha.This, together with information on spore morphology, suggests thatVairimorphasp. represents a genus distinct from that of the fire antThelohania.Its placement in the genusVairimorphamust also be reevaluated. Two new sister taxa, one containingT. solenopsaeandThelohaniasp. and one containingVairimorphasp., were found to have diverged early in the microsporidian lineage.
ISSN:0022-2011
1096-0805
DOI:10.1006/jipa.1998.4776