Diaz Pernett, Sandra Cristina

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    First integrative study of the diversity and specificity of Metacercariae of Posthodiplostomum Dubois, 1936 from native and introduced fishes in the Caribbean
    (2022-07-08) Diaz Pernett, Sandra Cristina; Locke, Sean; College of Arts and Sciences - Sciences; Van Ee Smit, Benjamin; Santos Flores, Carlos J.; Department of Biology; Vicente Velez, Nancy
    Metacercariae of the genus Posthodiplostomum are often recorded in freshwater fish second intermediate hosts. While the diversity and taxonomy of this genus are receiving increasing attention in molecular phylogenetic studies, available data remain geographically biased. Most molecular studies of Posthodiplostomum and morphologically similar (neascus) worms originate in North America and Europe and Asia (more than 60% of DNA sequences are from USA and Canada), with few data currently available from the Neotropics, where high host diversity suggests high and under-sampled parasite diversity. In this study, we report molecular and morphological data from metacercariae of Posthodiplostomum in fish in Puerto Rico, where only a single species has been previously reported. Partial sequences of cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) from metacercariae from Dajaus monticola (native to Puerto Rico) and the introduced fishes Poecilia reticulata, Parachromis managuensis, Lepomis macrochirus and Micropterus salmoides revealed seven genetically distinct specieslevel lineages, of which four were novel. Most species were morphologically distinct and all displayed narrow specificity for fish hosts. The six species of Posthodiplostomum recovered from introduced fishes were not found in native hosts.