Brazenor, Alexander K.,, Bertozzi, Terry, Miller, Terrence L., Whittington, Ian D., and Hutson, Kate S. (2018) DNA profiling reveals Neobenedenia girellae as the primary culprit in global fisheries and aquaculture. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 129. pp. 130-137.

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Abstract

Accurate identification of parasite species and strains is crucial to mitigate the risk of epidemics and emerging disease. Species of Neobenedenia are harmful monogenean ectoparasites that infect economically important bony fishes in aquaculture worldwide, however, the species boundaries between two of the most notorious taxa, N. melleni and N. girellae, has been a topic of contention for decades. Historically, identifications of Neobenedenia isolates have overwhelmingly been attributed to N. melleni, and it has been proposed that N. girellae is synonymous with N. melleni. We collected 33 Neobenedenia isolates from 22 host species spanning nine countries and amplified three genes including two nuclear (Histone 3 and 28S rDNA) and one mitochondrial (cytochrome b). Four major clades were identified using Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses; clades A-D corresponding to N. girellae, N. melleni, N. longiprostata and N. pacifica respectively. All unidentified isolates and the majority of Neobenedenia sequences from GenBank fell into clade A. The results of this study indicate that N. girellae is a separate species to N. melleni, and that a large proportion of previous samples identified as N. melleni may be erroneous and a revision of identifications is needed. The large diversity of host species that N. girellae is able to infect as determined in this study and the geographic range in which it is present (23.8426°S and 24.1426°N) makes it a globally cosmopolitan species and a threat to aquaculture industries around the world.

Item ID:	54299
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1095-9513
Keywords:	Phylogeny; Host specificity; Monogenea; Capsalidae; Skin fluke; Neobenedenia melleni; Cryptic; Aquaculture; Parasite
Funders:	Australian Postgraduate Award, JCU Research School, National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS)
Date Deposited:	18 Sep 2019 23:48
FoR Codes:	30 AGRICULTURAL, VETERINARY AND FOOD SCIENCES > 3005 Fisheries sciences > 300503 Fish pests and diseases @ 80% 30 AGRICULTURAL, VETERINARY AND FOOD SCIENCES > 3005 Fisheries sciences > 300501 Aquaculture @ 20%
SEO Codes:	83 ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND ANIMAL PRIMARY PRODUCTS > 8301 Fisheries - Aquaculture > 830102 Aquaculture Fin Fish (excl. Tuna) @ 50% 96 ENVIRONMENT > 9604 Control of Pests, Diseases and Exotic Species > 960407 Control of Pests, Diseases and Exotic Species in Marine Environments @ 50%
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