Mitochondrial genomic investigation reveals a clear association between species and genotypes of Lucilia and geographic origin in Australia

Parasites & Vectors

Research

Philip Batterham¹  Ying Ting Yang¹  Trent Perry¹  Shilpa Kapoor²  Neil D. Young³  Robin B. Gasser³  Vernon M. Bowles³  Clare A. Anstead³ 

[1] Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, 3010, Parkville, VIC, Australia;Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, 3010, Parkville, VIC, Australia;Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Building 400, 3010, Parkville, VIC, Australia;Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Science, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Building 400, 3010, Parkville, VIC, Australia;

关键词: Australian sheep blowfly;    Lucilia cuprina dorsalis;    Lucilia cuprina cuprina;    Lucilia sericata;    Mt genome;    Phylogenetics;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13071-023-05902-1

 received in 2023-05-10, accepted in 2023-07-27,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundLucilia cuprina and L. sericata (family Calliphoridae) are globally significant ectoparasites of sheep. Current literature suggests that only one of these blowfly subspecies, L. cuprina dorsalis, is a primary parasite causing myiasis (flystrike) in sheep in Australia. These species and subspecies are difficult to distinguish using morphological features. Hence, being able to accurately identify blowflies is critical for diagnosis and for understanding their relationships with their hosts and environment.MethodsIn this study, adult blowflies (5 pools of 17 flies; n = 85) were collected from five locations in different states [New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD), Tasmania (TAS), Victoria (VIC) and Western Australia (WA)] of Australia and their mitochondrial (mt) genomes were assembled.ResultsEach mt genome assembled was ~ 15 kb in size and encoded 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNAs, 22 transfer RNAs and a control region. The Lucilia species mt genomes were conserved in structure, and the genes retained the same order and direction. The overall nucleotide composition was heavily biased towards As and Ts—77.7% of the whole genomes. Pairwise nucleotide diversity suggested divergence between Lucilia cuprina cuprina, L. c. dorsalis and L. sericata. Comparative analyses of these mt genomes with published data demonstrated that the blowflies collected from sheep farm in TAS clustered within a clade with L. sericata. The flies collected from an urban location in QLD were more closely related to L. sericata and represented the subspecies L. c. cuprina, whereas the flies collected from sheep farms in NSW, VIC and WA represented the subspecies L. c. dorsalis.ConclusionsPhylogenetic analyses of the mt genomes representing Lucilia from the five geographic locations in Australia supported the previously demonstrated paraphyly of L. cuprina with respect to L. sericata and revealed that L. c. cuprina is distinct from L. c. dorsalis and that L. c. cuprina is more closely related to L. sericata than L. c. dorsalis. The mt genomes reported here provide an important molecular resource to develop tools for species- and subspecies-level identification of Lucilia from different geographical regions across Australia.Graphical Abstract

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

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