Molecular phylogeny of the Lecudinoidea (Apicomplexa): A major group of marine gregarines with diverse shapes, movements and hosts

Gregarine apicomplexans are ubiquitous endosymbionts of invertebrate hosts. Despite their ecological and evolutionary importance, inferences about the phylogenetic relationships of major gregarine groups, such as the Lecudinidae and Urosporidae, have been hindered by vague taxonomic definitions and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of eukaryotic microbiology 2024-11, Vol.71 (6), p.e13053-n/a
Main Authors: Park, Eunji, Leander, Brian S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Apicomplexa - classification
Apicomplexa - genetics
Apicomplexa - ultrastructure
DNA sequences
DNA, Protozoan - genetics
DNA, Ribosomal - genetics
Electron microscopy
Endosymbionts
Gregarinasina
Hosts
Lecudina
Light microscopy
Microscopy
Microscopy, Electron, Scanning
molecular phylogeny
Morphology
New species
Nucleotide sequence
Original
Phylogenetics
Phylogeny
Polychaeta - parasitology
Ribosomal DNA
Scanning electron microscopy
Sequence Analysis, DNA
Urosporidae
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Summary:Gregarine apicomplexans are ubiquitous endosymbionts of invertebrate hosts. Despite their ecological and evolutionary importance, inferences about the phylogenetic relationships of major gregarine groups, such as the Lecudinidae and Urosporidae, have been hindered by vague taxonomic definitions and limited molecular and morphological data. In this study, we investigated five gregarine species collected from four families of polychaete hosts (Nereididae, Oenonidae, Hesionidae, and Phyllodocidae) using light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We also generated small subunit ribosomal DNA sequences from these species and conducted molecular phylogenetic analyses to elucidate the evolutionary relationships within the Lecudinoidea. Our results include new molecular and morphological data for two previously described species (Lecudina cf. platynereidis and Lecudina cf. arabellae), the discovery of a new species of Lecudina (L. oxydromus n. sp.), and the discovery of two novel species, namely Amplectina cordis n. gen. et. n. sp. and Sphinctocystis inclina n. sp. These two species exhibited unique shapes and movements, resembling those of urosporids but with a phylogenetic affinity to lecudinids, blurring the border between lecudinids and urosporids. Our study emphasizes the need for further investigations into this highly diverse group, which has achieved great success across multiple animal phyla with diverse shapes and movements.
ISSN:1066-5234
1550-7408
1550-7408
DOI:10.1111/jeu.13053