Search results for "Opisthorchiidae"

Independent host switching events by digenean parasites of cetaceans inferred from ribosomal DNA

2015

Cetaceans harbour a unique fauna of digeneans whose origin and relationships have sparked considerable debate during recent decades. Disparity in the species reported indicates that they do not share close affinities, but their unusual morphology has made their taxonomic identities and phylogenetic positions uncertain. Here we use sequence data to investigate the phylogenetic relationships of the main species of flukes infecting cetaceans. We sequenced the 18S, 28S and internal transcribed spacer 2 rDNA of digenean species representing all known families reported from cetaceans: Braunina cordiformis (Brauninidae), Ogmogaster antarcticus (Notocotylidae), Pholeter gastrophilus (Heterophyidae)…