Publication details
Diversity of trematode parasites in European water frogs of genus Pelophylax
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| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Citation | |
| Description | Although the species distribution of water frogs in the Western Palaearctic is relatively well-investigated, little is known about the species richness of the parasite fauna associated with individual species. Our research expands knowledge about the species diversity of trematodes parasitizing water frogs P. esculentus and P. ridibundus in southern Slovakia, as well as P. epeiroticus, P. kurtmuelleri, and P. shqipericus in the Balkans, and provides the first molecular data for numerous local trematode taxa. A total of 264 water frogs were collected at 23 localities in Slovakia and the Balkans and examined for the presence of trematode parasites. Altogether, 17 trematode genera were found in the host frogs. A combination of morphological and molecular data was used to identify individual species, revealing five potentially new species. The highest species diversity was observed among Haematoloechus lung flukes, with three species identified. To quantify parasitic infection, basic epidemiological parameters were determined for individual species of trematodes, and diversity indices were calculated to assess alpha diversity. The highest mean prevalence was recorded for Opisthioglyphe ranae found in the intestine of frogs, the only representative of this monotypic genus. A phylogenetic analysis using partial 28S rRNA divided the found species of trematodes, belonging to eight families, into five well-supported groups. The partial sequences of the coxI mitochondrial gene were used to investigate genetic variability among collected taxa, and substantial intraspecific genetic variability was recorded in species with a wide distribution range (e.g., Diplodiscus subclavatus, Haematoloechus variegatus, or Opisthodiscus diplodiscoides). Our novel molecular data provide a new perspective on the taxonomy of frog trematodes and further highlight the underexplored diversity in Europe. |