Phylogenetic position of Dolops bidentata (Ichthyostraca: Argulidae) based on molecular data: first record of the genus in Mexico

Abstract

Species included in the genus Dolops (Ichthyostraca: Argulidae) have been recorded from Southern and Central Africa, Australia, and mainly from South America, with no records from Central or North America. Specimens of Dolops bidentata, previously recorded only in South America, were collected in the state of Tabasco, southern Mexico, parasitizing the common snook, Centropomus undecimalis. Here, we provide the first record of the genus and the species in North America (Mexico) and the first molecular characterization of Dolops bidentata including 1 mitochondrial and 2 nuclear DNA markers, as well as a morphological description of the specimens. The newly generated molecular data were used to preliminarily investigate the phylogenetic relationships of Branchiura and to include Dolops bidentata in a phylogenetic hypothesis. Our results fail to recover the monophyly of Dolops; however, more investigations are needed before any taxonomic change is made.