AI Article Synopsis
- Pentastomida are lung parasites primarily found in reptiles, with the genus Raillietiella having the most species but still mostly identified through physical traits.
- The Raillietiella parasites are categorized into morphotypic groups, with differences in hook shapes among species, like sharp versus blunt tips.
- This study used molecular analysis to show that what seems like morphological differences in Raillietiella mottae is actually a phenotypic variation linked to the host species, with female size and hook shape varying based on whether the lizards are nocturnal or diurnal.
Article Abstract
Pentastomida are lung parasites of a variety of hosts, mainly reptiles. Raillietiella is the genus with the largest number of species, whose taxonomic identification is still largely based on morphological data alone. In this classification, differences divide the genus into morphotypic groups. The Raillietiella parasites of insectivorous lizards, for example, are divided into "Group I" with species with hooks with sharp tips and "Group II" with posterior hooks with blunt tips. In the present work, we used molecular analysis to infer the morphological variation in hooks and size of specimens of Raillietiella mottae, parasites of several species of insectivorous lizards. Our results demonstrate that morphological differences comprise a phenotypic plasticity of a single species, whose variation is associated with host species, with females being larger and with hooks with blunt tips in nocturnal geckos and smaller ones with sharp tips in diurnal insectivorous lizards of different species, sizes, and habitats.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00436-024-08340-9 | DOI Listing |
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