Host and habitat shape ectoparasite diversity on and (Muridae).

and are commensal rodent species endemic to Africa. A recent taxonomic revision within leaves the parasite–host list of questionable and that of incomplete. The current study aimed to develop a better understanding of the ectoparasite diversity associated with the 2 distinct but closely related rodent species and to explore the influence of host and habitat type on ectoparasite infestations.

Documenting the microbiome diversity and distribution in selected fleas from South Africa with an emphasis on the cat flea, .

The factors that influence parasite associated bacterial microbial diversity and the geographic distributions of bacteria are not fully understood. In an effort to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between the bacterial diversity of fleas and host species and the external environment, we conducted a metagenetic analysis of 107 flea samples collected from 8 distinct sampling sites in South Africa. Pooled DNA samples mostly comprising of 2 or 3 individuals sampled from the same host, and belonging to the same genetic cluster, were sequenced using the Ion PGM™ Hi-Q™ Kit and the Ion 316™ Chip v2.

Management and conservation implications of cryptic population substructure for two commercially exploited fishes (Merluccius spp.) in southern Africa.

Genomic information can aid in the establishment of sustainable management plans for commercially exploited marine fishes, aiding in the long-term conservation of these resources. The southern African hakes (Merluccius capensis and M. paradoxus) are commercially valuable demersal fishes with similar distribution ranges but exhibiting contrasting life histories.

Diversification and evolutionary history of the African laminated-toothed rats (Rodentia, Otomyini).

The African continent was subjected to periodic climatic shifts during the Pliocene and Pleistocene. These habitat changes greatly affected the evolutionary processes and tempo of diversification in numerous, widely distributed mammals. The Otomyini (Family Muridae) comprises three African rodent genera, Parotomys, Otomys and Myotomys, characterized by unique laminated-shaped molars.

Phylogenomics reveals the origin of mammal lice out of Afrotheria.

Mammals host a wide diversity of parasites. Lice, comprising more than 5,000 species, are one group of ectoparasites whose major lineages have a somewhat patchwork distribution across the major groups of mammals. Here we explored patterns in the diversification of mammalian lice by reconstructing a higher-level phylogeny of these lice, leveraging whole genome sequence reads to assemble single-copy orthologue genes across the genome.

Their young bite better: On- and off-host selection pressure as drivers for evolutionary-developmental modification in Rhipicephalus ticks.

Distinct life stages may experience different selection pressures influencing phenotypic evolution. Morphological evolution is also constrained by early phenotypes, since early development forms the phenotypic basis of later development. This work investigates evolutionary-developmental modification in three life stages and both sexes of 24 Rhipicephalus species using phylogenetic comparative methods for geometric morphometrics of basis capituli (basal mouthpart structure used for host attachment), and scutum or conscutum areas (proxy for overall body size).

Species-landscape interactions drive divergent population trajectories in four forest-dependent Afromontane forest songbird species within a biodiversity hotspot in South Africa.

Species confined to naturally fragmented habitats may exhibit intrinsic population complexity which may challenge interpretations of species response to anthropogenic landscape transformation. In South Africa, where native forests are naturally fragmented, forest-dependent birds have undergone range declines since 1992, most notably among insectivores. These insectivores appear sensitive to the quality of natural matrix habitats, and it is unknown whether transformation of the landscape matrix has disrupted gene flow in these species.

Reeling them in: taxonomy of marine annelids used as bait by anglers in the Western Cape Province, South Africa.

Background: Common names are frequently used inconsistently for marine annelid species used as bait in the peer-reviewed literature, field guides and legislative material. The taxonomy of many such species based on morphology only also ignores cryptic divergences not yet detected. Such inconsistencies hamper effective management of marine annelids, especially as fishing for recreation and subsistence is increasing.

Adaptive radiation and speciation in Rhipicephalus ticks: A medley of novel hosts, nested predator-prey food webs, off-host periods and dispersal along temperature variation gradients.

Rhipicephalus are a species-diverse genus of ticks, mainly distributed in the Afrotropics with some species in the Palearctic and Oriental regions. Current taxonomic consensus comprise nine informal species groups/lineages based on immature morphology. This work integrates biogeographic, ecological and molecular lines of evidence to better understand Rhipicephalus evolution.

Effective number of white shark ( Linnaeus) breeders is stable over four successive years in the population adjacent to eastern Australia and New Zealand.

Population size is a central parameter for conservation; however, monitoring abundance is often problematic for threatened marine species. Despite substantial investment in research, many marine species remain data-poor presenting barriers to the evaluation of conservation management outcomes and the modeling of future solutions. Such is the case for the white shark (), a highly mobile apex predator for whom recent and substantial population declines have been recorded in many globally distributed populations.

New taxonomic and evolutionary insights relevant to the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis: A geographic perspective.

The cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis, is an obligate haematophagous ectoparasite of wildlife and domestic cats and dogs worldwide. Since cat fleas can affect the health of humans and their pets, an uncertain taxonomy of this taxon can greatly inhibit pest and disease management. To address the evolution and taxonomy of the cat flea, we set out to determine 1) how many genetically distinct taxa exist, 2) whether there is morphological support for the genetically distinct taxa, and 3) the role of host range and paleoclimatic events in speciation.

Two New Species of Sucking Lice (Phthiraptera: Anoplura: Hoplopleuridae and Polyplacidae) from Grant's Rock Mouse, Micaelamys granti, in South Africa.

Two new species of sucking lice (Phthiraptera: Anoplura), Hoplopleura granti n. sp. (Hoplopleuridae) and Polyplax megacephalus n.

Integrative taxonomy and species delimitation of Rhipicephalus turanicus (Acari: Ixodida: Ixodidae).

Rhipicephalus turanicus ticks are widely distributed across the Palearctic and Afrotropics. These two continental populations display differences in morphological characters that raise the question of a potential species boundary. However, the taxonomic status of these morphologically divergent lineages is uncertain because R.

Comparative phylogeography of parasitic Laelaps mites contribute new insights into the specialist-generalist variation hypothesis (SGVH).

Background: The specialist-generalist variation hypothesis (SGVH) in parasites suggests that, due to patchiness in habitat (host availability), specialist species will show more subdivided population structure when compared to generalist species. In addition, since specialist species are more prone to local stochastic extinction events with their hosts, they will show lower levels of intraspecific genetic diversity when compared to more generalist.

Results: To test the wider applicability of the SGVH we compared 337 cytochrome oxidase I mitochondrial DNA and 268 nuclear tropomyosin DNA sequenced fragments derived from two co-distributed Laelaps mite species and compared the data to 294 COI mtDNA sequences derived from the respective hosts Rhabdomys dilectus, R.

Viruses as indicators of contemporary host dispersal and phylogeography: an example of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV ) in free-ranging African lion (Panthera leo).

Measuring contemporary dispersal in highly mobile terrestrial species is challenging, especially when species are characterized by low levels of population differentiation. Directly transmitted viruses can be used as a surrogate for traditional methods of tracking host movement. Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is a species-specific lentivirus, which has an exceptionally high mutation rate and circulates naturally in wild felids.

Effects of tectonics and large scale climatic changes on the evolutionary history of Hyalomma ticks.

Hyalomma Koch, 1844 are ixodid ticks that infest mammals, birds and reptiles, to which 27 recognized species occur across the Afrotropical, Palearctic and Oriental regions. Despite their medical and veterinary importance, the evolutionary history of the group is enigmatic. To investigate various taxonomic hypotheses based on morphology, and also some of the mechanisms involved in the diversification of the genus, we sequenced and analysed data derived from two mtDNA fragments, three nuclear DNA genes and 47 morphological characters.

Spatio-temporal genetic structure and the effects of long-term fishing in two partially sympatric offshore demersal fishes.

Environmental gradients have been shown to disrupt gene flow in marine species, yet their influence in structuring populations at depth remains poorly understood. The Cape hakes (Merluccius paradoxus and M. capensis) are demersal species co-occurring in the Benguela Current system, where decades of intense fishing resulted in severely depleted stocks in the past.

The importance of correctly identifying the process responsible for spatial genetic structure in Leopard: A response to McManus and Smuts (2016).

Microsatellite analyses suggest that spatial genetic structure among six leopard-sampling sites in southern Africa is the result of isolation by distance.

Community structure of fleas within and among populations of three closely related rodent hosts: nestedness and beta-diversity.

We studied nestedness and its relationships with beta-diversity in flea communities harboured by three closely related rodent species (Rhabdomys pumilio, Rhabdomys intermedius, Rhabdomys dilectus) at two spatial scales (within and among host populations) in South Africa and asked (a) whether variation in species composition of flea communities within and among host populations follows a non-random pattern; if yes, (b) what are the contributions of nestedness and species turnover to dissimilarity (= beta-diversity) among flea communities at the two scales; and (c) do the degree of nestedness and its contribution to beta-diversity differ among host species (social vs solitary) and between scales. We found that nestedness in flea assemblages was more pronounced (a) in social than solitary host species and (b) at lower (among host individuals within populations) than at higher scale (among host populations). We also found that higher degree of nestedness was associated with its higher contribution to beta-diversity.

Predicting the Dispersal Potential of an Invasive Polychaete Pest along a Complex Coastal Biome.

Boccardia proboscidea is a recently introduced polychaete in South Africa where it is a notorious pest of commercially reared abalone. Populations were originally restricted to abalone farms but a recent exodus into the wild at some localities has raised conservation concerns due to the species' invasive status in other parts of the world. Here, we assessed the dispersal potential of B.

When homoplasy mimics hybridization: a case study of Cape hakes (Merluccius capensis and M. paradoxus).

In the marine environment, an increasing number of studies have documented introgression and hybridization using genetic markers. Hybridization appears to occur preferentially between sister-species, with the probability of introgression decreasing with an increase in evolutionary divergence. Exceptions to this pattern were reported for the Cape hakes (Merluccius capensis and M.

The influence of life history characteristics on flea (Siphonaptera) species distribution models.

Background: Ectoparasites exhibit pronounced variation in life history characteristics such as time spent on the host and host range. Since contemporary species distribution (SD) modelling does not account for differences in life history, the accuracy of predictions of current and future species' ranges could differ significantly between life history groups.

Results: SD model performance was compared between 21 flea species that differ in microhabitat preferences and level of host specificity.

Limited dispersal in an ectoparasitic mite, Laelaps giganteus, contributes to significant phylogeographic congruence with the rodent host, Rhabdomys.

To explore how biogeography, parasite life history and host vagility influences evolutionary codivergences, we followed a comparative phylogeography approach using a host-specific nonpermanent mite, Laelaps giganteus, that occurs on four rodent species within the genus Rhabdomys. A mtDNA COI haplotype network derived for 278 parasite specimens showed marked phylogeographic congruence with host distributions. Analysis of the less variable nuclear intron Tropomyosin was in part consistent with these results.

Implications of spatial genetic patterns for conserving African leopards.

The leopard (Panthera pardus) is heavily persecuted in areas where it predates livestock and threatens human well-being. Attempts to resolve human-leopard conflict typically involve translocating problem animals; however, these interventions are rarely informed by genetic studies and can unintentionally compromise the natural spatial genetic structure and diversity, and possibly the long-term persistence, of the species. No significant genetic discontinuities were definable within the southern African leopard population.