Integrative Taxonomy of the Caryospora simplex Species Complex (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) From Vipers (Squamata: Viperidae), With Redescription and First Molecular Characterization of Caryospora jararacae
Arthur M. M. da Silva, Carlos Nei Ortúzar-Ferreira, Mariana de S. Oliveira, Leandro Dorna-Santos, Vitor de S. Ferreira, Viviane M. de Lima, Bruno P. Berto
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Abstract
Background
The genus Caryospora Léger, 1904 comprises facultatively heteroxenous coccidia that predominantly parasitize snakes, with seven nominal species recorded in vipers (Viperidae). In the Neotropical region, the Jararaca Bothrops jararaca (Wied-Neuwied, 1824) and the Common Lancehead Bothrops atrox (Linnaeus, 1758) were previously the only recorded viperid hosts for Caryospora jararacae (Carini, 1939). This study aimed to provide a morphological redescription and the first molecular characterization of C. jararacae, alongside a global taxonomic review of Caryospora spp. in viperids.
Methods
Fecal samples from B. jararaca and Cascabel Rattlesnakes Crotalus durissus Linnaeus, 1758 were analyzed for oocyst morphology. Molecular characterization of C. jararacae was performed using a multilocus approach combining three mitochondrial loci and the nuclear 18S rDNA gene. Additionally, an integrative review synthesizing global data on geographic distribution, host specificity, and genotypic similarities of viperid Caryospora spp. was conducted.
Results
Caryospora jararacae was identified and redescribed from B. jararaca and C. durissus. By reidentifying previous morphometric reports from C. durissus as C. jararacae and providing the first genetically confirmed records for both host species, this study establishes C. jararacae as the sole Caryospora species known from Neotropical vipers and only the second genotypically characterized Caryospora species in the family Viperidae worldwide. The integrative review revealed that five of the seven nominal species reported in vipers belong to the Caryospora simplex species complex, representing five morphologically indistinguishable geotypes distributed across different continents.
Conclusions
Molecular evidence primarily supports a scenario of recent common ancestry and incipient speciation among geotypes of the Caryospora simplex species complex, wherein high genetic similarity reflects shared ancestral characters, rather than active ongoing genetic exchange. Despite their morphological indistinguishability, retention of the five nominal species within the complex is recommended, as they can be delimited through an integrative framework combining biogeographical, host, and molecular data.
期刊介绍：
Acta Parasitologica is an international journal covering the latest advances in the subject.
Acta Parasitologica publishes original papers on all aspects of parasitology and host-parasite relationships, including the latest discoveries in biochemical and molecular biology of parasites, their physiology, morphology, taxonomy and ecology, as well as original research papers on immunology, pathology, and epidemiology of parasitic diseases in the context of medical, veterinary and biological sciences. The journal also publishes short research notes, invited review articles, book reviews.
The journal was founded in 1953 as "Acta Parasitologica Polonica" by the Polish Parasitological Society and since 1954 has been published by W. Stefanski Institute of Parasitology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. Since 1992 in has appeared as Acta Parasitologica in four issues per year.
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