A phylogenetic assessment of nematodes (Oxyuroidea: Pharyngodonidae) infecting Moroccan lizards

Molecular tools can be used to estimate the phylogeny of species and to identify cryptic diversity, but their use for parasites has lagged behind that of free-ranging organisms. As an example, in North Africa there is minimal molecular data available for helminth parasites of lizards. In this work we used two molecular markers (the nuclear 18S rRNA and the mitochondrial Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit 1) to investigate the diversity of nematodes of the family Pharyngodonidae parasitizing three genera of lizards from Morocco (Chalcides, Quedenfeldtia and Tarentola) and to explore their co-evolutionary history. Morphological assessments indicated that members of three genera were present: Spauligodon, Thelandros, and Parapharyngodon. Phylogenetic analysis of 18S rRNA sequences indicated the monophyly of the genus Spauligodon, and that some lineages could be distinguished, including Spauligodon auziensis from the host species Tarentola mauritanica, and another unnamed lineage from hosts of the genus Chalcides. However, with this slow-evolving marker some species could not be distinguished. The genus Thelandros was not monophyletic, although relationships were not strongly supported. Analysis of the faster evolving mitochondrial marker clearly separated various species of Spauligodon, as well as distinct unnamed lineages identified in the host genus Chalcides and the host Quedenfeldtia moerens.