Genetic and Morphological Approaches Distinguish the Three Sibling Species of theAnisakis simplexSpecies Complex, with a Species Designation asAnisakis berlandin. sp. forA. simplexsp. C (Nematoda: Anisakidae)

• DOI: 10.1645/12-120.1
• Publication Date: 2014-04-16T22:11:35Z
• Authors: Simonetta Mattiucci; Paolo Cipriani; Stephen C. Webb; Michela Paoletti; Federica Marcer; Bruno Bellisario; David I. Gibson; Giuseppe Nascetti
• Keywords: Anisakis simplex; Species complex; Anisakis; Nuclear gene

Numerous specimens of the 3 sibling species Anisakis simplex complex (A. pegreffii, A. (senso stricto)), and sp. C) recovered from cetacean stranded within known geographical ranges these nematodes were studied morphologically genetically. The genetic characterization was performed on diagnostic allozymes sequences analysis nuclear (internal transcribed spacer [ITS] ribosomal [r]DNA) mitochondrial (mitochondrial [mt]DNA cox2 rrnS) genes. These markers showed (1) occurrence sympatry 2 pegreffii C in same individual host, pilot whale, Globicephala melas Traill, New Zealand waters; (2) identification striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba (Meyen), Mediterranean Sea; (3) presence (s.s.) whale minke Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacépède, northeastern Atlantic waters. No F1 hybrids detected among using markers. phylogenetic inference, obtained by maximum parsimony (MP) separate (ITS rDNA region), combined (mtDNA datasets, concatenated at both MP Bayesian inference (BI) datasets genes, resulted a similar topology. They congruent depicting existence as distinct lineages, tree topologies support finding that (s.s.), berlandi n. (=A. represent monophyletic group. morphological morphometric analyses revealed features differed biological species. Morphological principal component analysis, Procrustes combining clustering into well-defined groups. Nomenclatural designation formal description are given for C: name is proposed. Key traits follows between (s.s.): ventriculus length, tail shape, length/total body length ratio, left spicule ratio; pegreffii: plectane 1 width/plectane width right ratios, ratio. Ecological data pertaining to host distribution updated.