title: Two known and one new species of Proctoeces from Australian teleosts: Variable host-specificity for closely related species identified through multi-locus molecular data.
abstract: Species of Proctoeces Odhner, 1911 (Trematoda: Fellodistomidae) have been reported from a wide range of marine animals globally. Members of the genus tend to lack strongly distinguishing morphological features for diagnosis, making identification difficult and the true number of species in the genus contentious. Combined morphological and molecular analyses were used to characterise three species of Proctoeces from Moreton Bay and the southern Great Barrier Reef. Data for two ribosomal regions and one mitochondrial region were generated for specimens collected from Australia. Three unique 18S-genotypes were identified which corresponded to subtle, but reliable, morphological differences. Two species of Proctoeces were identified from fishes of Moreton Bay, Proctoeces insolitus (Nicoll, 1915) Yamaguti, 1953 and P. major Yamaguti, 1934, and a third, P. choerodoni n. sp. from off Heron Island on the southern Great Barrier Reef. Phylogenetic analyses of partial 18S and partial 28S rDNA indicated that these three species differ from the four species reported outside of Australia for which sequence data are available. Phylogenetically, Proctoeces proved to be a reliable concept, with all species of Proctoeces that have been characterised genetically forming a well-supported clade in all analyses. Dramatically different patterns of host-specificity were identified for each of the three Australian species; P. insolitus apparently infects a single species of fish, P. choerodoni n. sp. infects multiple species of a single genus of fish, and P. major infects multiple species of two teleost orders.
authors.affiliation: The University of Queensland, School of Biological Sciences, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Nicholas Q-X
authors.initials: NQ
authors.lastname: Wee
authors.affiliation: The University of Queensland, School of Biological Sciences, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia. Electronic address: T.cribb@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Thomas H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Cribb
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Rodney A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Bray
authors.affiliation: The University of Queensland, School of Biological Sciences, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Scott C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Cutmore
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001315:Australia; D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1 / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000469:parasitology*; D005838:Genotype; D058507:Host Specificity / Q000235:genetics; D010473:Perciformes / Q000469:parasitology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014200:Trematoda / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014201:Trematode Infections / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; D051545:Cyclooxygenase 1
keywords: 18S rDNA; 28S rDNA; Fellodistomidae; Great Barrier Reef; Host-specificity; Moreton Bay; Proctoeces; cox1 mtDNA