The mitochondrial genome of Angiostrongylus mackerrasae is distinct from A. cantonensis and A. malaysiensis

AbstractThe native rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus mackerrasae) and the invasive rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) occur in eastern Australia. The species identity of A. mackerrasae remained unquestioned until relatively recently, when compilation of mtDNA data indicated that A. mackerrasae sensu Aghazadeh et al. (2015b) clusters within A. cantonensis based on their mitochondrial genomes (mtDNA). To re-evaluate the species identity of A. mackerrasae, we sought material that would be morphologically conspecific with A. mackerrasae. We combined morphological and molecular approaches to confirm or refute the specific status of A. mackerrasae. Nematodes conspecific with A. mackerrasae from Rattus fuscipes and Rattus rattus were collected in Queensland, Australia. Morphologically identified A. mackerrasae voucher specimens were characterized using amplification of cox1 followed by the generation of reference complete mtDNA. The morphologically distinct A. cantonensis, A. mackerrasae and A. malaysiensis are genetically distinguishable forming a monophyletic mtDNA lineage. We conclude that A. mackerrasae sensu Aghazadeh et al. (2015b) is a misidentified specimen of A. cantonensis. The availability of the mtDNA genome of A. mackerrasae enables its unequivocal genetic identification and differentiation from other Angiostrongylus species.

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Occurrence of Angiostrongylus species (Nematoda) in populations of Rattus rattus and Rattus fuscipes in coastal forests of south-eastern Australia

Australian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1071/zo06061 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 55 (3) ◽

pp. 177 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Vicki L. Stokes ◽

David M. Spratt ◽

Peter B. Banks ◽

Roger P. Pech ◽

Richard L. Williams

Keyword(s):

Rattus Rattus ◽

Coastal Forests ◽

Intermediate Hosts ◽

South Eastern ◽

The North ◽

Eastern Australia ◽

Wide Range ◽

Rattus Fuscipes ◽

Study Sites ◽

South Eastern Australia

The distributions of the introduced nematode parasite, Angiostrongylus cantonensis, and the native Angiostrongylus mackerrasae in Australia are poorly understood. We sampled rodents and/or their faeces, and intermediate gastropod hosts for the presence of Angiostrongylus species in coastal forests surrounding Jervis Bay in south-eastern Australia. We found A. cantonensis in populations of introduced Rattus rattus in forests to the north of Jervis Bay, and A. mackerrasae in native Rattus fuscipes in forests to the south of Jervis Bay. The apparent geographical separation of these lungworm species may be a consequence of host specificity and negative associations between R. rattus and R. fuscipes that results from interspecific competition. A. cantonensis was regularly found in R. rattus or their faeces across 9 of 12 study sites north of Jervis Bay, and three species of snail common to the area were suitable intermediate hosts. This has potential negative implications for native wildlife and human visitors to these forests, because A. cantonensis infection causes zoonotic disease (neuro-angiostrongyliasis) in humans and a wide range of bird and mammal hosts. Management of pest rodents in the study area is warranted.

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Grania (Annelida: Clitellata: Enchytraeidae) of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, including four new species and a re-description of Grania trichaeta Jamieson, 1977

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.2165.1.2 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 2165 (1) ◽

pp. 16-38 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

PIERRE DE WIT ◽

EMILIA ROTA ◽

CHRISTER ERSÉUS

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Great Barrier Reef ◽

New Caledonia ◽

Barrier Reef ◽

Interspecific Divergence ◽

Eastern Australia ◽

New Material ◽

Voucher Specimens ◽

The Mean ◽

Phylogenetic Affinities

This study describes the fauna of the marine enchytraeid genus Grania at two locations on the Australian Great Barrier Reef: Lizard and Heron Islands. Collections were made from 1979 to 2006, yielding four new species: Grania breviductus sp. n., Grania regina sp. n., Grania homochaeta sp. n. and Grania colorata sp. n.. A re-description of Grania trichaeta Jamieson, 1977 based on new material is also included, along with notes and amendments on G. hyperoadenia Coates, 1990 and G. integra Coates & Stacey, 1997, the two latter being recorded for the first time from eastern Australia. COI barcode sequences were obtained from G. trichaeta and G. colorata and deposited with information on voucher specimens in the Barcode of Life database and GenBank; the mean intraspecific variation is 1.66 % in both species, while the mean interspecific divergence is 25.54 %. There seem to be two phylogeographic elements represented in the Great Barrier Grania fauna; one tropical with phylogenetic affinities to species found in New Caledonia and Hong Kong, and one southern (manifested at the more southerly located Heron Island) with affinities to species found in Southern Australia, Tasmania and Antarctica.

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SNP Markers as a Successful Molecular Tool for Assessing Species Identity and Geographic Origin of Trees in the Economically Important South American Legume Genus Dipteryx

Journal of Heredity ◽

10.1093/jhered/esaa011 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Eurídice N Honorio Coronado ◽

Céline Blanc-Jolivet ◽

Malte Mader ◽

Carmen R García-Dávila ◽

David Aldana Gomero ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Molecular Markers ◽

Country Of Origin ◽

Geographic Origin ◽

Snp Markers ◽

Genetic Identification ◽

Success Rates ◽

Species Identity ◽

Accurate Identification ◽

Genetic Clusters ◽

Assignment Success

Abstract Dipteryx timber has been heavily exploited in South America since 2000s due to the increasing international demand for hardwood. Developing tools for the genetic identification of Dipteryx species and their geographical origin can help to promote legal trading of timber. A collection of 800 individual trees, belonging to 6 different Dipteryx species, was genotyped based on 171 molecular markers. After the exclusion of markers out of Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium or with no polymorphism or low amplification, 83 nuclear, 29 chloroplast, 13 mitochondrial single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and 2 chloroplast and 5 mitochondrial INDELS remained. Six genetic groups were identified using Bayesian Structure analyses of the nuclear SNPs, which corresponded to the different Dipteryx species collected in the field. Seventeen highly informative markers were identified as suitable for species identification and obtained self-assignment success rates to species level of 78–96%. An additional set of 15 molecular markers was selected to determine the different genetic clusters found in Dipteryx odorata and Dipteryx ferrea, obtaining self-assignment success rates of 91–100%. The success to assign samples to the correct country of origin using all or only the informative markers improved when using the nearest neighbor approach (69–92%) compared to the Bayesian approach (33–80%). While nuclear and chloroplast SNPs were more suitable for differentiating the different Dipteryx species, mitochondrial SNPs were ideal for determining the genetic clusters of D. odorata and D. ferrea. These 32 selected SNPs will be invaluable genetic tools for the accurate identification of species and country of origin of Dipteryx timber.

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The Response of Small Mammals to Clearing and Burning of Eucalypt Forest in South-eastern Australia

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr9790151 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 151 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

GR Friend

Keyword(s):

Small Mammals ◽

Native Species ◽

Early Summer ◽

Native Forest ◽

Pine Plantation ◽

Eucalypt Forest ◽

Population Turnover ◽

Eastern Australia ◽

Antechinus Stuartii ◽

Rattus Fuscipes

Before, during and after a clearing operation for pine plantation establishment, small mammals were trapped on ridges which were to be cleared of all vegetation, and in adjacent gullies which were to be permanently retained under native forest. Rattus fuscipes was the most abundant native species on all grids throughout the study, while R. lutreolus, Antechinus stuartii and A. swainsonii were in low abundance. Clearing in early summer, the breeding season in most of these species, resulted in an acceleration and accentuation of population turnover. Some juveniles and subadults may have moved from the ridges during clearing, while breeding adults remained and probably perished. Populations of R. fuscipes on ridge areas were drastically reduced by clearing and windrowing, but subadults recolonized the affected areas within 1-2 months. Results for the other three native species were inconclusive, due to the few individuals captured at any time during the study. The exotic species Mus musculus began to invade immediately following windrow burning.

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Owl survey of the Peel–Harvey Estuary in south-western Australia

Australian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1071/zo17027 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 65 (2) ◽

pp. 71 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Graham R. Fulton

Keyword(s):

Western Australia ◽

Oryctolagus Cuniculus ◽

Rattus Rattus ◽

Late Winter ◽

Red Foxes ◽

Black Rat ◽

South West ◽

Eastern Australia ◽

Ringtail Possum ◽

Flying Fox

Little is known of owls in south-western Australia compared with the owls of southern and eastern Australia. Surveys of forest owls in the south-west are almost completely lacking. This study sought to determine the abundance and detectability of owls immediately around the Peel–Harvey Estuary in south-western Australia. The southern boobook (Ninox boobook) and the masked owl (Tyto novaehollandiae) were the only owls detected (n = 23 and n = 1 respectively), although the nocturnal tawny frogmouth (Podargus strigoides) was detected from unelicited calls on three occasions. Southern boobooks were found to be common in this area though they are reported to be in decline in south-eastern and inland Australia. Their detectability was significantly greater in August (late winter) than at other times through unelicited calls; otherwise, there were no detections in winter. A variety of small mammals were detected during the surveys, including: a little red flying-fox (Pteropus scapulatus), a western ringtail possum (Pseudocheirus occidentalis), 19 southern brown bandicoots (Isoodon obesulus), 4 common brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), 21 rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), a black rat (Rattus rattus), 2 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and 22 microbats.

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Genetic Identification and Implications of Another Invasive Species of Dreissenid Mussel in the Great Lakes

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f92-166 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 49 (7) ◽

pp. 1501-1506 ◽

Cited By ~ 133

Author(s):

Bernie May ◽

J. Ellen Marsden

Keyword(s):

Great Lakes ◽

Dreissena Polymorpha ◽

Low Frequency ◽

Lake Ontario ◽

Acute Angle ◽

Shell Morphology ◽

Genetic Identification ◽

Species Identity ◽

Allozyme Loci ◽

Dreissenid Mussel

In this paper we report the discovery and implications of a second nonindigenous species of dreissenid mussel in the Great Lakes. This species was detected in a routine screening of zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) for allozyme variability. The two species differ at allozyme loci (Nei's I = 0.30 using 12 loci) and in their shell morphology (the second species lacks the acute angle, or carina, between the ventral and dorsal surfaces of the shell of the zebra mussel). As a working name, at least until its species identity is discovered, we have called the new species the "quagga mussel." Currently, this mussel occurs in Lake Ontario in equal frequencies with D. polymorpha. Its low frequency of occurence in neighboring waters (e.g. the Erie canal, Niagara River, and outlet to Onondaga Lake) and lack of occurrence in any of the other Great Lakes suggest that (1) its point of introduction to North America was in Lake Ontario and (2) its range may expand.

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Trappability of introduced and native rodents in different trap types in coastal forests of south-eastern Australia

Australian Mammalogy ◽

10.1071/am12002 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 35 (1) ◽

pp. 49 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Vicki L. Stokes

Keyword(s):

Rattus Rattus ◽

Coastal Forests ◽

Sex Structure ◽

Relative Contribution ◽

Black Rat ◽

Eastern Australia ◽

Invaluable Tool ◽

Invasive Rodents ◽

Abundance And Distribution ◽

Black Rats

Trapping is an invaluable tool for estimating community composition and population size and structure of mammals. Bias in the relative contribution of species to a community and the age and sex structure of populations can occur where the traps used do not equally trap all species, sexes or cohorts. The aim of this study was to compare the efficiency of enclosed Elliott traps and open wire cage traps in trapping the invasive black rat, Rattus rattus, and the native rodent, Rattus fuscipes. Both trap types were suitable for trapping R. fuscipes and there was no apparent bias in capture of sex and age classes. In contrast, black rats were considerably more trappable in cage traps. Juveniles were more readily trapped in Elliott traps than adults, but were still considerably undersampled where only Elliott traps were used. These findings have important implications for sampling invasive rodents in Australian forests where Elliott traps are commonly used to census small mammals. Only using Elliott traps will underestimate density, distribution and impacts of R. rattus in native habitats. Cage traps or a combination of traps are recommended for reliably trapping black rats and obtaining representative data on presence, abundance and distribution.

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The mitochondrial genomes of 11 aquatic macroinvertebrate species from Cyprus

10.1101/2020.06.26.173625 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jan-Niklas Macher ◽

Katerina Drakou ◽

Athina Papatheodoulou ◽

Berry van der Hoorn ◽

Marlen Vasquez

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Dna Barcoding ◽

Species Identification ◽

Aquatic Macroinvertebrates ◽

Mitochondrial Genomes ◽

Formal Description ◽

Aquatic Macroinvertebrate ◽

Molecular Approaches ◽

Reference Databases ◽

Macroinvertebrate Species

AbstractAquatic macroinvertebrates are often identified based on morphology, but molecular approaches like DNA barcoding, metabarcoding and metagenomics are increasingly used for species identification. These approaches require the availability of DNA references deposited in public databases. Here we report the mitochondrial genomes of 11 aquatic macroinvertebrates species from Cyprus, a European Union island country in the Mediterranean. Only three of the molecularly identified species could be assigned to a species name, highlighting the need for taxonomic work that leads to the formal description and naming of species, and the need for further genetic work to fill the current gaps in reference databases containing aquatic macroinvertebrates.Graphical Abstract

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Observations Of The Behaviour Of Free Living Bush Rat, Rattus Fuscipes And Southern Brown Bandicoot, Isoodon Obesulus At Buried Bait Stations

Australian Mammalogy ◽

10.1071/am00125 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 22 (2) ◽

pp. 125 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

D Fairbridge ◽

P Fisher ◽

F Busana ◽

K Pontin ◽

A Edwards

Keyword(s):

Canis Lupus ◽

Native Species ◽

Red Fox ◽

Rattus Rattus ◽

Free Living ◽

Food Items ◽

Rattus Fuscipes ◽

Common Behaviour ◽

Wild Dog ◽

Bait Stations

EXCAVATION and burying of food items is a common behaviour in canids (Saunders et al. 1999). In Victoria burial of poisonous meat baits (containing 1080) to a depth of 8 - 10 cm for red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and wild dog (Canis lupus spp.) control is a standard practice (Saunders et al. 1995; Bloomfield 1999) and is thought to provide some protection to non?target native species (Allen et al. 1989; Staples and McPhee 1995). However, black rats (Rattus rattus) have been recorded taking Foxoff� baits buried at a depth of 10cm (Dexter and Meek 1998) and anecdotal evidence indicates that native rodents will occasionally excavate and consume buried meat baits although the frequency of this behaviour is not known (H. Brunner pers. comm.).

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A parasitological survey of zoonotic cestodes carried by house rats in Aswan, Egypt, reveals cryptic diversity at the molecular level

Veterinary World ◽

10.14202/vetworld.2021.2160-2169 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 2160-2169

Author(s):

Abuelhassan Elshazly Younis ◽

Atef Ibrahim Saad ◽

Islam Refaat Mohamed El-Akhal ◽

Nagla Mustafa Kamel Saleh

Keyword(s):

Phylogenetic Analysis ◽

Rattus Rattus ◽

Morphological Characteristics ◽

The Body ◽

Hymenolepis Diminuta ◽

Molecular Approaches ◽

Body Of Knowledge ◽

Current Survey ◽

Phylogenetic Divergence ◽

Taenia Taeniaeformis

Background and Aim: Some rat cestodes are zoonotic and are capable of parasitizing humans and animals, raising serious concerns regarding human and veterinary health. The study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors for cestodes in Egyptian house rats and to characterize the cestodes molecularly. Materials and Methods: The current survey examined 115 house rats (Rattus rattus) in two cities (Edfu and Aswan) in Egypt's Aswan Governorate for cestode infection using integrated molecular approaches (polymerase chain reaction, sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis) and morphological/morphometrical approaches. Results: The cestodes identified in this study exhibited the typical morphological characteristics of Hymenolepis diminuta (Rudolphi, 1819), Hymenolepis nana (Siebold, 1852) (from rat intestine), and Hydatigera taeniaeformis (from rat liver). The species prevalence rates from these three studies were reported to be 8.7%, 10.4%, and 20.9%, respectively. The ribosomal DNA (ITS1, 18S, and complete ITS) sequences revealed that the hymenolepid sequences were highly distinct but were related to other sequences in the GenBank database, with some sequences showing high similarities to those of H. nana and H. diminuta. In addition, the H. taeniaeformis sequences (ITS2 and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 [mtCOX1]) obtained in this study were highly similar to some Taenia taeniaeformis GenBank sequences. The constructed phylogram revealed that the hymenolepidid tapeworms examined in this study were classified into four major branches (the majority of which were hybrids of the two species) and belonged to the genus Hymenolepis. In addition, the phylogram of H. taeniaeformis assigned this species to T. taeniaeformis. Conclusion: When typical hymenolepid morphology is combined with molecular and phylogenetic divergence, it may indicate the existence of possible cryptic species. In addition, on the basis of the phylogenetic analysis, genetic diversity within T. taeniaeformis may exist as determined by comparing the metacestode mtCOX1 sequences. The current study presents the prevalence values of zoonotic cestodes and contributes to the body of knowledge, including identification keys and the use of molecular tools for species confirmation.

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