A NEW RHABDITOID NEMATODE SPECIES IN ASIAN SCIURIDS, DISTINCT FROM STRONGYLOIDES ROBUSTUS IN NORTH AMERICAN SCIURIDS

• Published in: The Journal of parasitology 2007-12, Vol.93 (6), p.1476-1486
• Main Authors: Sato, Hiroshi, Torii, Harumi, Une, Yumi, Ooi, Hong-Kean
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Base Sequence; Body length; DNA, Ribosomal - chemistry; Esophagus; Feces; Female; Female animals; Females; Gene sequencing; Geographical distribution; Gerbillinae; Glaucomys volans; Japan - epidemiology; Laboratories; Male; Males; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning - veterinary; Molecular Sequence Data; Morphology; Morphometry; Nematoda; Nematodes; New species; Parasite hosts; Parasites; Parasitology; Pets; Phylogenetics; Phylogeny; Physiology; Prevalence; Ribosomal DNA; RNA, Ribosomal, 18S - genetics; RNA, Ribosomal, 28S - genetics; Rodent Diseases - epidemiology; Rodent Diseases - parasitology; rRNA; Scanning electron microscopy; Sciuridae - parasitology; Sequence Alignment - veterinary; Squirrels; Strongyloides; Strongyloides - anatomy & histology; Strongyloides - classification; Strongyloides - genetics; Strongyloidiasis - epidemiology; Strongyloidiasis - parasitology; Strongyloidiasis - veterinary; SYSTEMATICS-PHYLOGENETICS; Tamiasciurus hudsonicus; Vulva
• ISSN: 0022-3395; 1937-2345
• DOI: 10.1645/GE-1106.1

Strongyloides callosciureus n. sp. (Nematoda: Rhabditoidea), from Asian sciurids, is described based on morphology, morphometry, and the small and large subunit (SSU/LSU) ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) sequences. This new species was collected from Pallas's squirrels (Callosciurus erythraeus) in the central part of mainland Japan (Honshu), which were originally introduced from Taiwan some decades ago, and plantain squirrels (Callosciurus notatus) imported from Malaysia as personal pets. For comparison, Strongyloides robustusChandler, 1942 was collected from American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) and southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans) imported from the United States as personal pets. The parasitic females found in North American and Asian sciurids shared some key morphological features such as the ovary running spirally around the gut, and the shapes of the stoma in the apical view and the tail. However, morphometric features of parasitic females in North American and Asian sciurids differed significantly from each other; the former was larger than the latter, and the relative position of the vulva to the whole body length from the mouth was different. The SSU/LSU rDNA sequences supported the division of sciurid Strongyloides isolates by geographical distribution of the host and morphological features, leading us to propose the erection of new species.