Unraveling the phylogenetics of genetically closely related species, Haemaphysalis japonica and Haemaphysalis megaspinosa, using entire tick mitogenomes and microbiomes.

ABSTRACT: Ticks have a profound impact on public health. Haemaphysalis is one of the most widespread genera in Asia, including Japan. The taxonomy and genetic differentiation of Haemaphysalis spp. is challenging. For instance, previous studies struggled to distinguish Haemaphysalis japonica and Haemaphysalis megaspinosa due to the dearth of nucleotide sequence polymorphisms in widely used barcoding genes. The classification of H. japonica japonica and its related sub-species Haemaphysalis japonica douglasi or Haemaphysalis jezoensis is also confused due to their high morphological similarity and a lack of molecular data that support the current classification. We used mitogenomes and microbiomes of H. japonica and H. megaspinosa to gain deeper insights into the phylogenetic relationships and genetic

SUBMITTER: Moustafa MAM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11063046 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature