How Phylogenies Inferred from 46 Mitochondrial Genomes Informed the Systematics of the Australasian Genus of Ticks, Bothriocroton, with the Description of Three New Species.
10 affiliations
- 1Laboratory of Parasitology, Graduate School of Infectious Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan.
- 2Department of Parasitology, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
- 3Division of Risk Analysis and Management, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0020, Japan.
- 4CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia.
- 5School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, Australia.
- 6Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital (AZWH), Beerwah, QLD 4519, Australia.
- 7Pelican Lagoon Research & Wildlife Centre, Penneshaw, SA 5222, Australia.
- 8Technical Office, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0020, Japan.
- 9Division of Parasitology, Veterinary Research Unit, International Institute for Zoonosis Control, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 001-0020, Japan.
- 10One Health Research Centre, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0818, Japan.
Abstract
Background
We revised the taxonomy and identification of the species of the genus Bothriocroton in light of entire mitochondrial genomes and nuclear rRNA genes, scanning electron microscopy, and light microscopy.Methods
(i) phylogenetic trees inferred from entire mitochondrial genomes and nuclear rRNA genes, (ii) species delimitation analyses (ABGD and bPTP), and (iii) the study of morphology by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and light microscopy.Results
The most complete picture of the Bothriocroton ticks so far. Thirty-five new mitochondrial genomes and 27 partial 18S-28S rDNA sequences were generated. Phylogenetic analyses recovered seven well-supported clades corresponding to species-level lineages. Intraspecific genetic divergence ranged from 0.14 to 1.16%, whereas interspecific divergence ranged from 4.94 to 21.75%. Three new species were described, and the morphological diagnosis of other species was improved by redescribing two other species. In addition, we updated and improved the morphological dichotomous keys to male and female ticks. Conclusions and prospects: The routine genotyping of Bothriocroton ticks to identify species and to confirm provisional identifications of species from their morphology is an alternative to the morphological identification of closely related Bothriocroton ticks.
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BibTeX
@article{kelava2026phylogenies,
title = {{How Phylogenies Inferred from 46 Mitochondrial Genomes Informed the Systematics of the Australasian Genus of Ticks, Bothriocroton, with the Description of Three New Species.}},
author = {Samuel Kelava and Mingeun Cho and Finlay G Mills and Dayana Barker and Yurie Taya and Alexander W Gofton and Iffy Glendinning and Amber Gillett and Peggy Rismiller and Yukari Horio and Aiko Ohnuma and Ernest J M Teo and Ryo Nakao and Stephen C Barker},
journal = {Biology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/biology15191733},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42883406},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - How Phylogenies Inferred from 46 Mitochondrial Genomes Informed the Systematics of the Australasian Genus of Ticks, Bothriocroton, with the Description of Three New Species.
AU - Samuel Kelava
AU - Mingeun Cho
AU - Finlay G Mills
AU - Dayana Barker
AU - Yurie Taya
AU - Alexander W Gofton
AU - Iffy Glendinning
AU - Amber Gillett
AU - Peggy Rismiller
AU - Yukari Horio
AU - Aiko Ohnuma
AU - Ernest J M Teo
AU - Ryo Nakao
AU - Stephen C Barker
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Biology
DO - 10.3390/biology15191733
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42883406
AB - Background We revised the taxonomy and identification of the species of the genus Bothriocroton in light of entire mitochondrial genomes and nuclear rRNA genes, scanning electron microscopy, and light microscopy.Methods (i) phylogenetic trees inferred from entire mitochondrial genomes and nuclear rRNA genes, (ii) species delimitation analyses (ABGD and bPTP), and (iii) the study of morphology by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and light microscopy.Results The most complete picture of the Bothriocroton ticks so far. Thirty-five new mitochondrial genomes and 27 partial 18S-28S rDNA sequences were generated. Phylogenetic analyses recovered seven well-supported clades corresponding to species-level lineages. Intraspecific genetic divergence ranged from 0.14 to 1.16%, whereas interspecific divergence ranged from 4.94 to 21.75%. Three new species were described, and the morphological diagnosis of other species was improved by redescribing two other species. In addition, we updated and improved the morphological dichotomous keys to male and female ticks. Conclusions and prospects: The routine genotyping of Bothriocroton ticks to identify species and to confirm provisional identifications of species from their morphology is an alternative to the morphological identification of closely related Bothriocroton ticks.
SN - 2079-7737
ER -