A molecular and ecological study of Macracanthorhynchus ingens (von Linstow, 1879) (Acanthocephala: Archiacanthocephala), in its paratenic and definitive hosts in southeastern Mexico and the Eastern USA

The acanthocephalan Macracanthorhynchus ingens (von Linstow 1879) (Acanthocephala: Archiacanthocephala) is a parasite that infects the gut of carnivores (racoons, coyotes, wolves, foxes, badgers, skunks, opossum, mink and bears) as an adult and the body cavity of lizards, snakes, and frogs as a cystacanth in the Americas. In this study, adults and cystacanths of M. ingens from southeastern Mexico and southern Florida, USA, were identified morphologically by having a cylindrical proboscis armed with 6 rows of hooks each with 6 hooks. Hologenophores were used to sequence the small (SSU) and large (LSU) subunits of ribosomal DNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox 1) from mitochondrial DNA. Phylogenetic analysis of the new SSU and LSU sequences of M. ingens placed them in a clade with other sequences available in GenBank identified as M. ingens. The cox 1 tree showed that the nine new sequences and six previously published sequences of M. ingens from the USA form a clade with other sequences previously identified as M. ingens from GenBank. The intraspecific genetic divergence among isolates from the Americas ranged from 0 to 2%, and in combination with the phylogenetic trees confirmed that the isolates belonged to the same species. The cox 1 haplotype network inferred with 15 sequences revealed 10 haplotypes separated from each other by a few substitutions. Rio Grande Leopard Frogs and Vaillant´s Frogs harbored cystacanths with low prevalence, 28% and 37% respectively, in Mexico. Brown Basilisks, an invasive lizard in Florida, USA, had high values of prevalence, 92% and 93% in males and females, respectively. Females harbored more cystacanths than males (0–39 vs 0–21) for unknown reasons that may, however, be related to ecological differences.