Abstract
The taxonomic history of the species of Plagiorchis Lühe, 1899 occurring in European bats has been very confused because of high morphological similarity between different forms/species and the inadequate initial description of P. vespertilionis(Müller, 1780). As morphological data alone have not provided enough convincing arguments to solve the problem, the sequences from the nuclear rDNA ITS region (ITS1, 5.8S and ITS2) of three species of the P. vespertilionis group (P. vespertilionis, P. muelleri Tkach & Sharpilo, 1990 and P. koreanus Ogata, 1938) occurring in European bats were used to test the validity of these species and evaluate some of the morphological characters used for the species differentiation within this group. P. elegans from birds was used as the outgroup in the analysis. All three ingroup species were clearly distinguishable using ITS sequences. Among them, P. koreanus occupied a basal position, while P. vespertilionis and P. muelleri appeared as a cluster of two closely related, derived species. ITS sequences of the specimens obtained from different hosts and/or geographical areas did not exhibit any intraspecific variability. Morphological study of the material in collections revealed characters which enable the species of Plagiorchis from bats in Europe to be distinguished. Taking into account that the type-material of P. vespertilionis, described during the 18th Century, has been lost, for nomenclatural stability, a neotype is established and described. An amended description of the type-material of P. muelleri and keys for the determination of Plagiorchis spp. from European bats are presented.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Botella, P., Sanchez, L. & Esteban, J.G. (1993) Helminth fauna of bats in Spain. III. Parasites of Pipistrellus pipistrellus (Schreber, 1774) (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae). Research and Reviews in Parasitology, 53, 63–70.
Braun, M. (1900) Trematoden der Chiroptera. Annalen des Naturhistorischen (Hof) Museums. Wien, 15, 215–236.
Dawes, B. (1946). The Trematoda. Cambridge: University Press, 644 pp.
Desprès, L., Imbert-Establet, D., Combes, C. & Bonhomme, F. (1992) Molecular evidence linking hominid evolution to recent radiations of schistosomes. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 1, 295–304.
Dujardin, M.F. (1845) Histoire naturelle des helminthes ou vers intestinaux. Paris, 654 pp.
Groschaft, J. & Tenora, F. (1973) Trematodes of the genus Plagiorchis Lühe, 1899 (Plagiorchiidae), parasites of bats in Afghanistan. Vestnik Ceskoslovenske Spolecnosti Zoologické, 37, 241–249.
Groschaft, J. & Tenora, F. (1974) Some remarks on the morphological variability of the species Plagiorchis vespertilionis (Müller, 1780) and Plagiorchis koreanus Ogata, 1938 (Trematoda, Plagiorchiidae) parasitizing bats. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae. Brno, 22, 115–130.
Jousson, O., Bartoli, P., Zaninetti, L. & Pawlowski, J. (1998) Use of the ITS rDNA for elucidation of some life-cycles of Mesometridae (Trematoda, Digenea). International Journal for Parasitology, 28, 1,403–1,411.
Kochseder, G. (1969) Untersuchungen über Trematoden und Cestoden aus Fledermausen in der Steiermark. Sitzungsberichte der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche K1asse, 177, 205–232.
Krasnolobova, T.A. (1987) [Trematodes of the fauna of USSR. Genus Plagiorchis]. Moscow: Nauka, 164 pp. (In Russian)
Larsen, N., et al. (1993) The ribosomal database project. Nucleic Acid Research, 21, 3,021–3,023.
Lühe, M. (1909) Parasitische Plattwurmer. 1. Trematodes. In: Die Süsswasserfauna Deutschlands, 17, 218 pp.
Macy, R.W. (1960) The life cycle of Plagiorchis vespertilionis parorchis n.sp. (Trematoda: Plagiorchiidae) and observations on the effects of light on the emergence of cercaria. Journal of Parasitology, 46, 337–345.
Mátskási, I. (1967) The systematico-faunistical survey of the trematode fauna of Hungarian bats. 1. Annales Historico-Naturales Musei Nationalis Hungarici, 59, 217–238.
Mészáros, F. & Mas-Coma, S. (1980) On some parasitic helminths from Spanish bats. Parasitologica Hungarica, 13, 59–64.
Mituch, J. (1964) Nalez trematoda Plagiorchis (Plagiorchis) amplehaustoria sp.n. z netoperov (Chiroptera) zo Slovenska. Biologia, 19, 122–125.
Mituch, J. (1965) Beiträg zur Erkenntnis der Helminthenfauna von Miniopterus schreibersii (Kuhl., 1819) in der Slovakei (ÈSSR). Helminthologia, 6, 109–119.
Morgan, J.A.T. & Blair, D. (1995) Nuclear rDNA ITS sequence variation in the trematode genus Echinostoma: an aid to establishing relationships within the 37 collar-spine group. Parasitology, 111, 609–615.
Müller, O.F. (1780) Zoologiae Danicae seu Animalium Daniae et Norvegiae rariorum ac minus notorum. Icones, editae ab Othone Friderico Müller. Fasc.2. Havniae: Hallager, 2 p., Tab. 41–80.
Müller, O.F. (1784) Zoologiae Danicae seu Animalium Daniae et Norvegiae rariorum ac minus notorum. Descriptiones et historia. Explicationi iconum fasciculi secundi eiusdem operi inserviens. Lipsiae: Müller, 124 pp.
Odening, K. (1964) Exkretionssystem und systematische stellung einiger Fledermaustrematoden aus Berlin und Umgebung nebst Bemerkungen zum lecithodendrioiden Komplex. Zeitschrift für Parasitenkunde, 24, 453–483.
Odening, K. (1968) Zur Kenntnis der einheimischen Fledermaustrematoden. Zoologische Jahrbücher. Abteilung für Systematic, 95, 265–296.
Ogata, T. (1938) Contribution à la connaissance de la faune helminthologique Coréenne. I. Une nouvelle espèce de trématode provenant de chauves-souris. Annotationes Zoologicae Japonenses, 17, 581–586.
Ricci, M. (1995) Contribution to a revision of the genus Plagiorchis (Trematoda: Digenea: Plagiorchiidae). Parassitologia, 37, 25–28.
Rudolphi, C.A. (1809) Entozoorum sive vermium intestinalum. Volum. II. P.I. Amstelaedami, 457 pp.
Rysavý, B. (1956) Cizopasni cervi netopyru (Microchiroptera) prezimujich v nekterych jeskynich Ceskoslovenska. Ceskoslovenska Parasitologia, 3, 161–179.
Schtrom, Z.K. & Sondak, V.A. (1935) [New and little known trematodes of the fam. Plagiorchiidae and Dicrocoeliidae.] In: Parazity, perenoschiki i yadovitie zhivotnie. Moscow-Leningrad: Izdatel'stvo VIEM, pp. 348–357 (In Russian).
Schulz, R.S. (1932) [Trematodes of the genus Plagiorchis Lühe from rodents.] Vestnik Mikrobiologii, Epidemiologii i Parazitologii, 2, 53–60 (In Russian).
Sharpilo, V.P. & Iskova, N.I. (1989) [Fauna of the Ukraine, Vol. 34, Issue 3. Trematodes. Plagiorchiates.] Kiev: Naukova Dumka, 279 pp. (In Russian).
Sharpilo, V.P. & Tkach, V.V. (1992) On the type species of the genus Plagiorchis Lühe, 1899 (Trematoda, Plagiorchiidae). Vestnik Zoologii, (5), 8–15 (In Russian).
Skvortsov, V.G. (1972) [Trematodes of the family Plagiorchiidae Luhe, 1901 from bats in Moldavia.] Parazity zhivotnych i rastenij. Kishinev: Stiinca, Issue 8, pp. 46–50 (In Russian).
Skrjabin, K.I. & Antipin, D.N. (1958) [Superfamily Plagiorchioidea Dollfus, 1930.] Osnovy Trematodologii, 14, 75–634 (In Russian).
Stafford, J. (1905) Trematodes from Canadian vertebrates. Zoologischer Anzeiger, 28, 681–694.
Swofford, D. L. (1999) PAUP*. Phylogenetic Analysis Using Parsimony (*and Other Methods). Version 4. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts.
Timofeeva, T.N. (1962) [On the species of the genus Plagiorchis identical to Plagiorchis vespertilionis Muller, 1780.] Trudy Gel'mintologicheskoj Laboratorii AN SSSR, 12, 228–231 (In Russian).
Tkach, V. & Pawlowski, J. (1999) A new method of DNA extraction from the ethanol-fixed parasitic worms. Acta Parasitologica, 44, 147–148.
Tkach, V., Grabda-Kazubska, B., Pawlowski, J. & Swiderski, Z. (1999) Molecular and morphological evidences for close phylogenetic affinities of the genera Macrodera, Leptophallus, Metaleptophallus and Paralepoderma (Digenea, Plagiorchioidea). Acta Parasitologica, 44, 170–179.
Tkach, V.V. & Sharpilo, V.P. (1990) [A new trematodes species (Trematoda, Plagiorchiidae) from bats.] In: News of faunistics and systematics. Kiev: Naukova Dumka, pp. 11–13 (In Russian).
Yamaguti, S. (1958) Systema helminthum. The digenetic trematodes of vertebrates. Vols 1, 2. New York – London: Interscience, 1,575 pp.
Yamaguti, S. (1971) Synopsis of digenetic trematodes of vertebrates. Tokyo: Keigaku Publishing Co., 1,074 pp.
Zdzitowiecki, K. (1970) Helminths of bats in Poland. I. Cestodes and trematodes of the family Plagiorchiidae. Acta Parasitologica Polonica, 17, 175–188.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Tkach, V.V., Pawlowski, J. & Sharpilo, V.P. Molecular and morphological differentiation between species of the Plagiorchis vespertilionis group (Digenea, Plagiorchiidae) occurring in European bats, with a re-description of P. vespertilionis (Müller, 1780). Syst Parasitol 47, 9–22 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006358524045
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006358524045