Larval stages of Plagiorchis spp. are both ubiquitous and ecologically important parasites in snail populations of freshwater ecosystems in Europe. However, difficulties in distinguishing the morphologically similar cercariae used for species identification, may lead to underestimation of species diversity. In this study, 38 isolates of Plagiorchis spp. infecting two lymnaeid snails, Lymnaea stagnalis (L.) and Radix auricularia (L.), in five central European freshwater ecosystems were subjected to morphological and molecular assessment. Five morphologically homogeneous and genetically distinct lineages of Plagiorchis spp. were identified via matching molecular data for the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1) gene with detailed morphological and morphometric data of the cercariae. Comparative sequence analysis using partial 28S rDNA and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 sequences revealed that three distinct cox1 lineages are conspecific with Plagiorchis elegans (Rudolphi, 1802), P. maculosus (Rudolphi, 1802) and P. koreanus Ogata, 1938, respectively, whereas the lineage identified based on cercarial morphology as P. neomidis Brendow, 1970 plus a single isolate that could not be assigned to a described species, did not match any of the available sequences for Plagiorchis spp. A key to the cercariae of Plagiorchis spp. parasitising lymnaeid populations in central Europe is provided to facilitate identification.

Institute of Parasitology Biology Centre Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Branišovská 31 370 05 České Budějovice Czech Republic

See more in PubMed

Parasite. 2007 Mar;14(1):39-51 PubMed

Mol Phylogenet Evol. 2000 Sep;16(3):449-66 PubMed

Nat Methods. 2012 Jul 30;9(8):772 PubMed

Syst Parasitol. 2000 Sep;47(1):9-22 PubMed

Mitochondrial DNA. 2010 Dec;21 Suppl 1:12-7 PubMed

Int J Parasitol. 2001 Jan;31(1):81-5 PubMed

Int J Parasitol. 2000 Jan;30(1):83-93 PubMed

Parasitol Res. 2006 Sep;99(4):434-9 PubMed

Parasitol Res. 2011 Jan;108(1):137-50 PubMed

Mol Biol Evol. 2011 Oct;28(10):2731-9 PubMed

J Parasitol. 2001 Dec;87(6):1433-40 PubMed

Ann Parasitol Hum Comp. 1976 May-Jun;51(3):329-40 PubMed

Syst Biol. 2012 May;61(3):539-42 PubMed

Syst Biol. 2003 Oct;52(5):696-704 PubMed

Science. 2001 Dec 14;294(5550):2310-4 PubMed

Parasitology. 2011 May;138(6):789-807 PubMed

Int J Parasitol. 2011 Aug 1;41(9):981-90 PubMed

Adv Parasitol. 2005;60:165-243 PubMed

Parasitol Res. 2006 Oct;99(5):572-82 PubMed

Parasit Vectors. 2013 Oct 22;6:303 PubMed

Z Parasitenkd. 1970;33(4):282-313 PubMed

Mol Phylogenet Evol. 1995 Jun;4(2):103-9 PubMed

Wiad Parazytol. 2007;53(4):301-8 PubMed

J Parasitol. 2012 Jun;98(3):460-71 PubMed

Z Parasitenkd. 1952;15(5):369-91 PubMed

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000 Oct 10;97(21):11359-64 PubMed

J Parasitol. 1999 Oct;85(5):935-46 PubMed

Adv Parasitol. 2005;60:101-63 PubMed

Syst Biol. 2010 May;59(3):307-21 PubMed

Folia Parasitol (Praha). 1989;36(4):313-9 PubMed

Small but diverse: larval trematode communities in the small freshwater planorbids Gyraulus albus and Segmentina nitida (Gastropoda: Pulmonata) from the Ruhr River, Germany

Neopsilotrema n. g. (Digenea: Psilostomidae) and three new species from ducks (Anseriformes: Anatidae) in North America and Europe

Biodiversity of trematodes in their intermediate mollusc and fish hosts in the freshwater ecosystems of Europe

The Early Worm Catches the Bird? Productivity and Patterns of Trichobilharzia szidati Cercarial Emission from Lymnaea stagnalis

See more in PubMed

GENBANK
KJ533392, KJ533393, KJ533394, KJ533395, KJ533396, KJ533397, KJ533398, KJ533399, KJ533400, KJ533401, KJ533402, KJ533403, KJ533404, KJ533405, KJ533406, KJ533407, KJ533408, KJ533409, KJ533410, KJ533411, KJ533412, KJ533413, KJ533414, KJ533415, KJ533416, KJ533417, KJ533418, KJ533419, KJ533420, KJ533421, KJ533422, KJ533423, KJ533424, KJ533425, KJ533426, KJ533427, KJ533428, KJ533429, KJ533430, KJ533431, KJ533432, KJ533433, KJ533434, KJ533435, KJ533436