Taxonomic re-evaluation of African anuran trypanosomes with the redescription and molecular diagnosis of Trypanosoma (Trypanosoma) nelspruitense Laveran, 1904 and Trypanosoma (Haematomonas) grandicolor Pienaar, 1962.

Abstract

The aquatic and terrestrial clades of species of Trypanosoma could provide insight into the evolutionary history of the genus, as well as complementary information for biomedical studies of medically and economically important species of Trypanosoma. The ecological interactions and phylogeny of aquatic trypanosomes are currently not well-understood, mostly due to their complex life cycles and a deficiency of data. The species of Trypanosoma from African anuran hosts are of the least understood taxa in the genus. Trypanosomes were collected from South African frogs and subjected to morphological and phylogenetic analyses. This study redescribes Trypanosoma (Trypanosoma) nelspruitense Laveran, 1904 and Trypanosoma (Haematomonas) grandicolor Pienaar, 1962, with morphological and molecular data. The present study aims to create a platform for further future research on African anuran trypanosomes.