Abstract
Adult specimens of Trichuris sp. collected from crested porcupines (Hystrix cristata) from Italy were characterized using an integrative taxonomic approach involving morphological and molecular tools. The morphological features of this Trichuris sp. were compared to data already available for Trichuris spp. from Hystrix sp., revealing diagnostic traits, such as spicule length in males or vulva shape in females, which distinguish this Trichuris sp. from the other species. Evidence from sequences analysis of the partial mitochondrial COX1 region indicated that the taxon under study is a distinct lineage. Biometrical and genetic data suggested this Trichuris sp. to be a valid and separated taxon. However, since molecular data from other Trichuris spp. infecting Hystrix, such as T. infundibulus, T. hystricis, T. javanica, T.landak and T. lenkorani, are missing in public repositories, the number and identity of distinct lineages able to infect porcupines remain only partially defined.
Highlights
Whipworms of the genus Trichuris Roederer, 1761 (Nematoda: Trichuridae) parasitize a broad range of mammalian hosts including ruminants, marsupials, rodents and primates, showing a wide geographic distribution [1]
The aim of the present paper is to identify adults of Trichuris sp. infecting Hystrix cristata collected during two independent samplings carried out in central Italy (Lazio and Tuscany) using an integrated approach, including a morphological comparative evaluation of diagnostic features and a molecular characterization based on sequence analysis of both the partial COX1 and phylogenetic inference
The crested porcupine H. cristata Linnaeus, 1758 is a large, nocturnal rodent which is widespread in North and sub-Saharan Africa [21,22,23]
Summary
Whipworms of the genus Trichuris Roederer, 1761 (Nematoda: Trichuridae) parasitize a broad range of mammalian hosts including ruminants, marsupials, rodents and primates, showing a wide geographic distribution [1]. Several morphological traits with high discriminatory values are traditionally used to identify Trichuris species, such as the presence/absence of the spicular tube, the shape and distribution of the spines of the spicular sheath, the length of the spicule and the morphology of the vulva, along with classic morphometric characteristics [2,3,4]. The designation of parasitic species within the Trichuris genus has often been determined by the use of an integrative approach based on the combination of morphological and molecular methodologies. The sequences of the nuclear ribosomal ITS and of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase gene (COX1) have commonly been used to investigate the phylogeny, molecular systematics and population genetics of Trichuris spp. from rodents [7,8]
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