title: Molecular characterisation of three avian haemoproteids (Haemosporida, Haemoproteidae), with the description of Haemoproteus (Parahaemoproteus) palloris n. sp.
abstract: DNA barcoding (molecular characterisation) is a useful tool for describing the taxonomy and systematics of organisms. Over 250 species of avian haemosporidian parasites have been described using morphological characters, yet molecular techniques based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) suggest this diversity is underestimated. Moreover, molecular techniques are particularly useful for the detection of chronic infections and tissue stages of these parasites. Species delimitation is problematic among haemosporidians, and many questions about the mechanisms and patterns of speciation, host specificity and pathogenicity are still unresolved. Accumulation of additional genetic and morphological information is needed to approach these questions. Here, we combine microscopic examination with PCR-based methods to develop molecular characterisation of Haemoproteus (Parahaemoproteus) manwelli Bennett, 1978 and Haemoproteus (Parahaemoproteus) gavrilovi Valkiūnas & Iezhova, 1990, both of which parasitise the bee-eater Merops apiaster L. We also describe a new species, Haemoproteus (Parahaemoproteus) palloris n. sp., from the blood of the willow warbler Phylloscopus trochilus (L.). We performed phylogenetic analyses with a set of mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) gene lineages, which have been linked to parasite morphospecies and are available in the MalAvi database. Our findings show that morphological characters, which have been traditionally used in the description of haemosporidians, exhibit phylogenetic congruence. This study contributes to a better understanding of avian haemosporidian diversity and provides new molecular markers (cyt b and apicoplast gene sequences) for the diagnostics of inadequately investigated haemosporidian infections.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ecology, Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, 08412, Vilnius, Lithuania. ddmitko@gmail.com.|Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2 Gagarin Street, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria. ddmitko@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Dimitar
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5961-247X
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dimitrov
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ecology, Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, 08412, Vilnius, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Tatjana A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Iezhova
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2 Gagarin Street, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zehtindjiev
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2 Gagarin Street, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: Aneliya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bobeva
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2 Gagarin Street, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: Mihaela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ilieva
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2 Gagarin Street, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: Miroslava
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kirilova
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2 Gagarin Street, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: Kiril
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bedev
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Lund University, Ecology Building, 22362, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Christoffer
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sjöholm
authors.affiliation: Institute of Ecology, Nature Research Centre, Akademijos 2, 08412, Vilnius, Lithuania.
authors.forename: Gediminas
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Valkiūnas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D063546:Apicoplasts / Q000235:genetics; D044822:Biodiversity; D045303:Cytochromes b / Q000235:genetics; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D016787:Haemosporida / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D046109:Passeriformes / Q000469:parasitology; D010802:Phylogeny; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D045303:Cytochromes b