Seventy-eight entire mitochondrial genomes and nuclear rRNA genes provide insight into the phylogeny of the hard ticks, particularly the Haemaphysalis species, Africaniella transversale and Robertsicus elaphense

Samuel Kelava; Ben J Mans; Renfu Shao; Dayana Barker; Ernest J M Teo; Elisha Chatanga; Alexander W Gofton; Mohamed Abdallah Mohamed Moustafa; Ryo Nakao; Stephen C Barker

doi:10.1016/j.ttbdis.2022.102070

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Seventy-eight entire mitochondrial genomes and nuclear rRNA genes provide insight into the phylogeny of the hard ticks, particularly the Haemaphysalis species, Africaniella transversale and Robertsicus elaphense

Journal article

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Seventy-eight entire mitochondrial genomes and nuclear rRNA genes provide insight into the phylogeny of the hard ticks, particularly the Haemaphysalis species, Africaniella transversale and Robertsicus elaphense

Samuel Kelava, Ben J Mans, Renfu Shao, Dayana Barker, Ernest J M Teo, Elisha Chatanga, Alexander W Gofton, Mohamed Abdallah Mohamed Moustafa, Ryo Nakao and Stephen C Barker

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, Vol.14(2), pp.1-13

2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2022.102070

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Abstract

Acari

Idoxdida

Ixodidae

Hoogstraal and Kim (1985) proposed from morphology, three groups of Haemaphysalis subgenera: (i) the “structurally advanced”; (ii) the “structurally intermediate”; and (iii) the “structurally primitive” subgenera. Nuclear gene phylogenies, however, did not indicate monophyly of these morphological groups but alas, only two mitochondrial (mt) genomes from the “structurally intermediate” subgenera had been sequenced. The phylogeny of Haemaphysalis has not yet been resolved. We aimed to resolve the phylogeny of the genus Haemaphysalis, with respect to the subgenus Alloceraea. We presented 15 newly sequenced and annotated mt genomes from 15 species of ticks, five species of which have not been sequenced before, and four new 18S rRNA and 28S rRNA nuclear gene sequences. Our datasets were constructed from 10 mt protein-coding genes, cox1, and the 18S and 28S nuclear rRNA genes. We found a 132-bp insertion between tRNA-Glu (E) gene and the nad1 gene in the mt genome of Haemaphysalis (Alloceraea) inermis that resembles insertions in H. (Alloceraea) kitaokai and Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) geigyi. Our mt phylogenies had the three species of Amblyomma (Aponomma) we sequenced embedded in the main clade of Amblyomma: Am. (Aponomma) fimbriatum, Am. (Aponomma) gervaisi and Am. (Aponomma) latum. This is further support for the hypothesis that the evolution of eyes appears to have occurred in the most-recent-common-ancestor of Amblyocephalus (i.e. Amblyomminae plus Rhipicephalinae) and that eyes were subsequently lost in the most-recent-common-ancestor of the subgenus Am. (Aponomma). Either Africaniella transversale or Robertsicus elaphense, or perhaps Af. transversale plus Ro. elaphense, appear to be the sister-group to the rest of the metastriate Ixodida. Our cox1 phylogenies did not indicate monophyly of the “structurally primitive”, “structurally intermediate” nor the “structurally advanced” groups of Haemaphysalis subgenera. Indeed, the subgenus Alloceraea may be the only monophyletic subgenus of the genus Haemaphysalis sequenced thus far. All of our mt genome and cox1 phylogenies had the subgenus Alloceraea in a clade that was separate from the rest of the Haemaphysalis ticks. If Alloceraea is indeed the sister to the rest of the Haemaphysalis subgenera this would resonate with the argument of Hoogstraal and Kim (1985), that Alloceraea was a subgenus of “primitive” Haemaphysalis. Alectorobius capensis from Japan had a higher genetic-identity to A. sawaii than to the A. capensis from South Africa. This indicates that A. capensis from Japan may be a cryptic species with respect to the A. capensis from South Africa.

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Title: Seventy-eight entire mitochondrial genomes and nuclear rRNA genes provide insight into the phylogeny of the hard ticks, particularly the Haemaphysalis species, Africaniella transversale and Robertsicus elaphense
Authors: Samuel Kelava (Author) - University of Queensland
Ben J Mans (Author) - Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute
Renfu Shao (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for Bioinnovation
Dayana Barker (Author) - University of Queensland
Ernest J M Teo (Author) - University of Queensland
Elisha Chatanga (Author) - Hokkaido University
Alexander W Gofton (Author) - CSIRO Health and Biosecurity
Mohamed Abdallah Mohamed Moustafa (Author) - Hokkaido University
Ryo Nakao (Author) - Hokkaido University
Stephen C Barker (Corresponding Author) - University of Queensland
Publication details: Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases, Vol.14(2), pp.1-13
Publisher: Elsevier GmbH
DOI: 10.1016/j.ttbdis.2022.102070
ISSN: 1877-9603
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Centre for Bioinnovation
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99682798802621
Output Type: Journal article

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Web Of Science research areas: Infectious Diseases; Microbiology; Parasitology

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