title: Acanthocheilonema delicata n. sp. (Nematoda: Filarioidea) from Japanese badgers (Meles anakuma): description, molecular identification, and Wolbachia screening.
abstract: Acanthocheilonema delicata n. sp. (Filarioidea: Onchocercidae: Onchocercinae) is described based on adult filarioids and microfilariae obtained from subcutaneous connective tissues and skin, respectively, of Japanese badgers (Meles anakuma) in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. No endemic species of the genus had been found in Japan. Recently, some filarioids (e.g., Acanthocheilonema reconditum, Dirofilaria spp., and Onchocerca spp.) have come to light as causative agents of zoonosis worldwide. The new species was readily distinguished from its congeners by morphologic characteristics such as body length, body width, esophagus length, spicule length, and the length of microfilariae. Based on the molecular data of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene, A. delicata n. sp. was included in the clade of the genus Acanthocheilonema but differed from two other congeneric species available for study, A. viteae and A. reconditum. Acanthocheilonema delicata n. sp. did not harbor Wolbachia. It is likely that the fauna of filarioids from mammals on the Japanese islands is characterized by a high level of endemicity.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. unishigehiko@um.edu.my
authors.forename: Shigehiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uni
authors.forename: Odile
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bain
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Agatsuma
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: Masaharu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Motokawa
authors.forename: Coralie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Emilie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lefoulon
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takaoka
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005370:Filarioidea / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D045969:Mustelidae / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D013045:Species Specificity; D020577:Wolbachia / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV