Phylogenetic relationships of the anoplocephaline cestodes of Australasian marsupials and resurrection of the genus Wallabicestus Schmidt, 1975.

A phylogenetic analysis was carried out on rDNA of 45 species of anoplocephaline cestodes from marsupial hosts. The exclusively Australasian genera Progamotaenia Nybelin, 1917, Triplotaenia Boas, 1902, Paramoniezia Maplestone & Southwell, 1923 and Phascolotaenia Beveridge, 1976 formed a monophyletic clade, and the previously suggested relationship between the Australasian species of the cosmopolitan genus Bertiella Stiles & Hassall, 1902 and species of Progamotaenia was supported. A low degree of phyletic co-evolution was detected within endemic Australasian clades. Colonisation rather than co-speciation appeared to be the principal means of diversification within the Australasian anoplocephaline radiation. The clade of bile duct-inhabiting Progamotaenia species emphasises the role of microhabitat rather than host species as a driver of speciation. Triplotaenia undosa Beveridge, 1976 described from a wide variety of macropodid hosts was found to be polyphyletic and a proposition was made to resurrect Wallabicestus Schmidt, 1975, with W. ewersi Schmidt, 1975 as the type-species and including W. ualabati (Beveridge, 2009) n. comb. [previously Progamotaenia ualabati Beveridge, 2009].

Systematic relationships of Mosgovoyia Spasskii, 1951 (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) and related genera inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data.

The present study evaluates the phylogenetic position and systematic relationships of two species of Mosgovoyia Spasskii, 1951 and related genera (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) based on sequences of 28S ribosomal RNA and mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (Nad1) genes. Both molecular data-sets show that M. pectinata (Goeze, 1782) and Schizorchis caballeroi Rausch, 1960 are sister species and that they are phylogenetically independent from M. ctenoides (Railliet, 1890). This shows unambiguously that Mosgovoyia [sensu Beveridge (1978)] is a non-monophyletic assemblage, supporting the validity of Neoctenotaenia Tenora, 1976, erected for M. ctenoides. The results also show that the morphologically related Ctenotaenia marmotae (Fröhlich, 1802) is the sister species of Andrya rhopalocephala (Riehm, 1881) and therefore represents a more derived lineage. Modified diagnoses are provided for Mosgovoyia and Neoctenotaenia.