Publication details
A new species of filariid nematode from Epirus water frogs (Pelophylax epeiroticus) in Greece
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2023 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Filariae are predominantly tissue-dwelling parasitic nematodes of terrestrial vertebrates belonging to the Onchocercidae family. Only a few species are associated with European amphibians, however some regions are completely unexplored in context of these parasites. Such a region is the Balkan peninsula, where the amphibian parasites diversity is almost unknown. The Balkans is considered a European hotspot of biodiversity and currently we recognize here seven species of water frogs (genus Pelophylax) out of which two are considered as endemic. In years 2021 and 2022, we conducted two field collections in Greece and collected various helminths from endemic P. epeiroticus at Lake Ioannina. Besides endoparasitic trematodes we recorded also a new species of nematodes belonging to Onchocerchidae family. The relatively largebodied adults were present in the mesentery of frogs and larval stages (filaria) were observed in the stained blood samples. Out of the ten examined P. epeiroticus, eight were parasitized by this new nematode species. The phylogenetic analyses based on five genetic markers (18S and 28S, rbp1, COI, and hsp70) revealed this new taxon as a close relative to waltonelline onchocerchids of the genus Ochoterenella. The Waltonellinae and Icosiellinae are currently the only two subfamilies encompassing filarial nematodes of anurans. Although the Icosiella spp. are common parasites of European frogs, the representatives of Waltonellinae, and especially Ochoterenella, exhibit neotropical distribution. The finding of this entirely new taxon in the Balkan peninsula may either be an outcome of the previous biological invasion, or a remark on how underexplored is the diversity and distribution of anuran onchocerchids. The study was financially supported by VEGA no. 1/0583/22 and APVV-19-0076. |