Myxozoa + Polypodium: A Common Route to Endoparasitism

Beth Okamura; Alexander Gruhl

doi:10.1016/j.pt.2016.01.007

Myxozoa + Polypodium: A Common Route to Endoparasitism

Trends Parasitol. 2016 Apr;32(4):268-271. doi: 10.1016/j.pt.2016.01.007. Epub 2016 Jan 29.

Authors

Beth Okamura¹, Alexander Gruhl²

Affiliations

¹ Natural History Museum, Department of Life Sciences, London, UK. Electronic address: b.okamura@nhm.ac.uk.
² Natural History Museum, Department of Life Sciences, London, UK; Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany.

PMID: 26830727
DOI: 10.1016/j.pt.2016.01.007

Abstract

Recent evidence places the problematic Polypodium, a parasite of fish eggs, firmly as sister taxon to Myxozoa within the Cnidaria. This resolution suggests a single route to endoparasitism in Cnidaria, with larval stages of a common ancestor exploiting fish as first hosts. It also enables new interpretations and insights regarding evolutionary transitions associated with endoparasitism.

Keywords: Cnidaria; evolution of parasitism; fish parasites; phylogeny.

Publication types

Comment

MeSH terms

Animals
Evolution, Molecular*
Genome*
Myxobolus / genetics*
Phylogeny*