Trophically-transmitted parasites are regularly exposed to potential new hosts through food web interactions. Successful colonization, or switching, to novel hosts, occur readily when 'donor' and 'target' hosts are phylogenetically related, whereas switching between distantly related hosts is rare and may result from stochastic factors (i.e. rare favourable mutations). This study investigates a host-switching event between a marine acanthocephalan specific to pinnipeds that is apparently able to reproduce in Magellanic penguins Spheniscus magellanicus from Brazil. Detailed analysis of morphological and morphometrical data from acanthocephalans from penguins indicates that they belong to Corynosoma australe Johnston, 1937. Partial fragments of the 28S rRNA and mitochondrial cox1 genes were amplified from isolates from penguins and two pinniped species (i.e. South American sea lion Otaria flavescens and South American fur seal Arctocephalus australis) to confirm this identification. Infection parameters clearly differ between penguins and the two pinniped species, which were significantly lower in S. magellanicus. The sex ratio of C. australe also differed between penguins and pinnipeds; in S. magellanicus was strongly biased against males, while in pinnipeds it was close to 1:1. Females of C. australe from O. flavescens were smaller than those from S. magellanicus and A. australis. However, fecundity (i.e. the proportion of fully developed eggs) was lower and more variable in females collected from S. magellanicus. At first glance, the occurrence of reproductive individuals of C. australe in Magellanic penguins could be interpreted as an adaptive colonization of a novel avian host through favourable mutations. However, it could also be considered, perhaps more likely, as an example of ecological fitting through the use of a plesimorphic (host) resource, since the ancestors of Corynosoma infected aquatic birds.

Centro de Investigación Aplicada y Transferencia Tecnológica en Recursos Marinos Almirante Storni Universidad Nacional del Comahue San Antonio Oeste Río Negro Argentina

Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos CESIMAR CENPAT CONICET Puerto Madryn Chubut Argentina

Departamento de Parasitologia Animal Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro Seropédica Rio de Janeiro Brazil

Institute of Parasitology Biology Centre Czech Academy of Sciences České Budějovice Czech Republic

Instituto Cavanilles de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva Parque Científico Universidad de Valencia Paterna Valencia Spain

Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco UNPSJB Sede Puerto Madryn Puerto Madryn Chubut Argentina

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