title: Phylogeography and demographic history of Amblyomma variegatum (Fabricius) (Acari: Ixodidae), the tropical bont tick.
abstract: The genetic diversity of Amblyomma variegatum (Fabricius) from four Caribbean islands and five African countries was compared by analyzing the sequences of three gene fragments, two mitochondrial (12SrDNA and D-Loop-DL), and one nuclear (intergenic transcribed spacer 2 [ITS2]). Genetic variability of the ITS2 DNA fragment consisted of only uninformative single nucleotide mutations, and therefore this gene was excluded from further analyses. Mitochondrial gene divergences among African populations and between Caribbean and African populations were very low. Nevertheless, the data suggest that A. variegatum is divided into distinct East and West African groups, the western group including all Caribbean samples. Phylogenetic analyses of the 12SrDNA and DL gene sequences showed that the West African A. variegatum clustered in a well-supported monophyletic clade, distinct from eastern paraphyletic lineages. Sequences of A. variegatum from the Caribbean were embedded in the West African clade, which supports the known West African historical origin for these ticks.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Arthropodology and Parasitology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia 3046, USA. lorenzabeati@georgiasouthern.edu
authors.forename: Lorenza
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Beati
authors.forename: Jaymin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Helene
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lucas-Williams
authors.forename: Hassane
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Adakal
authors.forename: Esther G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Kanduma
authors.forename: Enala
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tembo-Mwase
authors.forename: Rosina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Krecek
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Mertins
authors.forename: Jeffery T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Alfred
authors.forename: Susyn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kelly
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D000818:Animals; D017691:Caribbean Region; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D003710:Demography; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005843:Geography; D006239:Haplotypes; D026863:Ixodidae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D058974:Phylogeography; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D014329:Tropical Climate
chemical_list: D004247:DNA