Molecular analyses of turtle relationships have overturned prevailing morphological hypotheses and prompted the development of a new taxonomy. Here we provide the first genome-scale analysis of turtle phylogeny. We sequenced 2381 ultraconserved element (UCE) loci representing a total of 1,718,154bp of aligned sequence. Our sampling includes 32 turtle taxa representing all 14 recognized turtle families and an additional six outgroups. Maximum likelihood, Bayesian, and species tree methods produce a single resolved phylogeny. This robust phylogeny shows that proposed phylogenetic names correspond to well-supported clades, and this topology is more consistent with the temporal appearance of clades and paleobiogeography. Future studies of turtle phylogeny using fossil turtles should use this topology as a scaffold for their morphological phylogenetic analyses.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2014.10.021 | DOI Listing |
Pathogens
December 2024
School of Agriculture Science, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia.
Malaria and other haemosporidian parasites are common in reptiles. During baseline health surveys of sea turtles in Western Australia (WA), haemosporidian parasites were detected in flatback () and green () turtle erythrocytes during routine blood film examination. 130 blood samples were screened via polymerase chain reaction (PCR), including 105 20 and 5 olive ridley turtles ().
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExp Appl Acarol
December 2024
Laboratory of Parasitology, National School of Veterinary Medicine of Sidi Thabet, University of Manouba, Manouba, 2010, Tunisia.
Hyalomma ticks are important vectors of pathogens affecting human and animal health. This study aimed to assess the outputs of three molecular markers (16S, 12S rRNA, and COI) for accurate tick species molecular identification, genetic diversity assessment, and phylogenetic positioning of Hyalomma tick specimens from Tunisia. A total of 20 tickspecimens were collected from different hosts including cattle, camels, and turtles in nine Tunisian governorates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
December 2024
Laboratório de Genética e Evolução Molecular, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, Vitória, ES, Brazil.
A recent study proposed a new genetic lineage of leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) based on genetic analysis, environmental history, and local ecological knowledge (LEK), suggesting the existence of two possible species or subspecies on the beaches of Oaxaca, diverging ~ 13.5 Mya. However, this hypothesis may be influenced by nuclear mitochondrial DNA segments (NUMTs), which could have been misamplified as true mtDNA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Helminthol
December 2024
A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskii prospect 33, Moscow, 119071, Russian Federation.
Oshmarin & Demshin, 1972 is redescribed from the posterior intestine of tropical tortoise (Gmelin, 1789) (Testudines: Geoemydidae) from China. Some characteristic features of the male reproductive system not reported previously are now reported for the present species. These include the presence of two blind diverticula near the mid-region of the seminal vesicle and a small cuticular structure near the opening of the cloaca - which we propose to name the 'scutum.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Trop
January 2025
Laboratory of Parasitology, Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0818, Japan.
The correct delineation of tick species is critical for efforts aimed at safeguarding One Health. Historically, the Asian turtle tick (Amblyomma geoemydae sensu lato) has been regarded as a geographically widespread species across much of Asia. However, based on morphological and phylogenomic data, the subtropical lineage (from Japan, Taiwan, and parts of China) of A.
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