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Ruiz-Arrondo I, Veiga J, Adler PH, Collantes F, Oteo JA, Valera F. Integrated taxonomy of black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) reveals unexpected diversity in the most arid ecosystem of Europe. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0293547. [PMID: 37948378 PMCID: PMC10637677 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 10/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The family Simuliidae includes more than 2000 species of black flies worldwide. Their morphological uniformity creates difficulty for species identification, which limits our knowledge of their ecology and vectorial role. We investigated the systematics of black flies in a semi-arid area of the Iberian Peninsula, an ecologically harsh environment for these organisms. Sampling adult black flies in three different habitats (by means of CDC traps) and in avian nest boxes and collecting immature stages in high-salinity rills provided a representative sample of the component species. A combination of approaches, including morphological, chromosomal, and molecular (based on the mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) and internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) genes) revealed five species: four common species (Simulium intermedium, S. petricolum, S. pseudequinum, and S. rubzovianum) and the first European record for S. mellah. Barcoding gap and phylogenetic analyses revealed that ITS2 is a key marker to identify the species, whereas the COI marker does not provide enough resolution to identify some species or infer their phylogenetic relationships. Morphological and chromosomal features are also provided to identify S. mellah unequivocally. Our study highlights the need for integrated studies of black flies in ecologically extreme habitats to increase our knowledge of their distribution, ecology, and potential risks for public health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio Ruiz-Arrondo
- Center of Rickettsiosis and Arthropod-Borne Diseases (CRETAV), Infectious Diseases Department, San Pedro University Hospital-Center for Biomedical Research from La Rioja (CIBIR), Logroño, La Rioja, Spain
| | - Jesús Veiga
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC), Almería, Spain
- Departmento de Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain
- MEMEG, Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Peter H. Adler
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Francisco Collantes
- Departamento de Zoología y Antropología Física, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - José A. Oteo
- Center of Rickettsiosis and Arthropod-Borne Diseases (CRETAV), Infectious Diseases Department, San Pedro University Hospital-Center for Biomedical Research from La Rioja (CIBIR), Logroño, La Rioja, Spain
| | - Francisco Valera
- Departamento de Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva, Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas (EEZA-CSIC), Almería, Spain
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Environmental determinants of mayfly assemblages in the Seybouse River, north‐eastern Algeria (Insecta: Ephemeroptera). Biologia (Bratisl) 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11756-021-00726-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Samraoui B, Samraoui F, Al-Misned FA, El-Serehy HA, Adler PH. Ecological determinants of black fly assemblages of relict mountain streams in northeastern Algeria, plus new records (Diptera: Simuliidae). Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
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Đuknić J, Jovanović VM, Popović N, Živić I, Raković M, Čerba D, Paunović M. Phylogeography of Simulium Subgenus Wilhelmia (Diptera: Simuliidae)-Insights From Balkan Populations. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2019; 56:967-978. [PMID: 31220292 PMCID: PMC6595531 DOI: 10.1093/jme/tjz034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Many morphologically similar species of the simuliid (Diptera: Simuliidae) subgenus Wilhelmia, Enderlein are difficult to distinguish. Thus, the revision of the subgenus using various morphological, cytogenetic, and genetic analyses has been attempted. Neglected until now, the Balkan Peninsula, a crossroad between Europe and Anatolia, provides insight which could resolve problematic interrelationships of the taxa within this subgenus. To uncover the status and relations within the subgenus Wilhelmia, mtDNA was extracted from 47 individuals of six morphospecies: Simulium balcanicum (Enderlein, 1924), Simulium turgaicum Rubtsov, 1940, Simulium lineatum (Meigen, 1804), Simulium pseudequinum Séguy, 1921, Simulium equinum (Linnaeus, 1758), and Simulium paraequinum Puri, 1933 from 21 sites throughout the Balkan Peninsula. Phylogenetic analysis of the Wilhelmia species using mitochondrial DNA barcoding (COI) gene showed two major branches, the lineatum branch, which includes the lineages sergenti, paraequinum, and lineatum, and the equinum branch. In the equinum branch, the mtDNA sequences formed six clades, with high genetic distances, suggesting the existence of different species. Historically, the clades of the equinum branch appeared at numerous islands, perhaps as a result of allopatric speciation. The paraequinum lineage (lineatum branch) is composed of two species. However, six clades of the lineatum lineage overlapped with intra- and interspecific genetic distances. Our results revealed that the species S. balcanicum, S. pseudequinum B, and S. equinum were omnipresent in the Balkans. The results point to not only the fair diversity of Wilhelmia species in the Balkans, but also indicate that most Wilhelmia species live in sympatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelena Đuknić
- Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Vladimir M Jovanović
- Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Nataša Popović
- Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Ivana Živić
- Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Maja Raković
- Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Dubravka Čerba
- Department of Biology, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Osijek, Croatia
| | - Momir Paunović
- Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
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Cherairia M, Adler PH. Genetic variation in a colonization specialist, Simulium ruficorne (Diptera: Simuliidae), the world's most widely distributed black fly. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0205137. [PMID: 30281665 PMCID: PMC6169971 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0205137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability of aquatic insects to colonize Earth's most remote freshwater habitats, such as those of islands and deserts, is limited to select taxa. Among black flies, the premiere colonization specialist is Simulium ruficorne Macquart, the only species known from both the Afrotropical and Palearctic regions. We investigated the cytogenetics of S. ruficorne to gain insight into its wide geographic distribution and ability to colonize oceanic islands and deserts. On the basis of larval polytene chromosomes from 14 locations, we documented 17 novel and previously known chromosomal rearrangements and established five cytoforms (A1, A2, B, C, and D), of which probably four (A1/A2, B, C, and D) are distinct species and two (A1 and A2) represent sex-chromosome polymorphism involving a heteroband in the long arm of chromosome III. The chromosome restructuring phenomena associated with the five cytoforms are consistent with the trend in the Simuliidae that one and the same rearrangement can assume different functions in the various descendants of a common ancestor in which the rearrangement was polymorphic. The most widely distributed cytoforms are A1 and A2, which are found in North Africa, the Canary Islands, and Majorca. Simulium ruficorne, the only known black fly in the Hoggar Mountains of the central Sahara Desert, represents a cohesive population of cytoform A1 little differentiated from other North African populations of A1 and A2. Cytoform B inhabits the West African mainland, cytoform C is on Tenerife, and cytoform D is on Cape Verde. We suggest that dispersal and colonization specialists, such as S. ruficorne, are multivoltine inhabitants of temporary streams, and must relocate as their habitats deteriorate. Simulium ruficorne, therefore, should have adaptations that contribute to successful dispersal and colonization, perhaps largely physiological in nature, such as tolerance of high temperatures and droughts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mouna Cherairia
- Laboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides, Université 8 Mai 1945 de Guelma, Guelma, Algeria
| | - Peter H. Adler
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, United States of America
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Adler PH, Cherairia M, Arigue SF, Samraoui B, Belqat B. Cryptic biodiversity in the cytogenome of bird-biting blackflies in North Africa. MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY 2015; 29:276-289. [PMID: 25801314 DOI: 10.1111/mve.12115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2014] [Revised: 12/03/2014] [Accepted: 12/19/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Bird-biting blackflies in the Simulium (Eusimulium) aureum group (Diptera: Simuliidae) are widespread vectors of Leucocytozoon and Trypanosoma parasites. The polytene chromosomes of 619 larvae of the three nominal members of the S. aureum group in North Africa were evaluated cytogenetically for cryptic biodiversity. Seven chromosomal segregates were discovered among 29 populations in Algeria and Morocco. This diversity was based primarily on two chromosomal inversions, which have assumed unique roles in different lineages, including sex linkage, fixation, loss and autosomal polymorphism. Reproductive isolation was demonstrated for six of the seven segregates, doubling the number of species known in the area. Four species were linked with existing names: (a) Simulium mellah Giudicelli & Bouzidi, which is known only from North African high-salinity habitats; (b) Simulium petricolum (Rivosecchi), which is tentatively conspecific with continental European populations; (c) Simulium rubzovianum (Sherban) and its synonym Simulium latinum (Rubtsov), which is widely distributed from North Africa across Europe into Western Asia, and (d) Simulium velutinum (Santos Abreu) and its new synonym Simulium tenerificum Crosskey, which is restricted to North Africa and the Canary Islands. Of the remaining entities, two are new species precinctive to North Africa and one, known only from Morocco, is of undetermined taxonomic status.
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Affiliation(s)
- P H Adler
- Entomology Program, School of Agricultural, Forest and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, U.S.A
| | - M Cherairia
- Laboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides, Université 8 Mai 1945, Guelma, Algeria
| | - S F Arigue
- Département des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Faculté des Sciences Exactes et des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université Mohamed Kheider, Biskra, Algeria
| | - B Samraoui
- Laboratoire de Recherche et de Conservation des Zones Humides, Université 8 Mai 1945, Guelma, Algeria
- Centre of Excellence for Research in Biodiversity, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - B Belqat
- Laboratoire Écologie, Biodiversité et Environnement, Département de Biologie, Université Abdelmalek Essaâdi, Tétouan, Morocco
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