Machine learning models accurately predict clades of proteocephalidean tapeworms (Onchoproteocephalidea) based on host and biogeographical data.

ABSTRACT: Proteocephalids are a cosmopolitan and diverse group of tapeworms (Cestoda) that have colonized vertebrate hosts in freshwater and terrestrial environments. Despite the ubiquity of the group, key macroevolutionary processes that have driven the group's evolution have yet to be identified. Here, we review the phylogenetic relationships of proteocephalid tapeworms using publicly available (671) and newly generated (91) nucleotide sequences of the nuclear RNA28S and the mitochondrial MT-CO1 for 537 terminals. The main tree search was carried out under the parsimony optimality criterion, analysing different gene alignments simultaneously. Interestingly, we were not able to recover monophyly of the Proteocephalidae. Additionally, it was difficult to reconcile the tree with host and biogeographi

SUBMITTER: Vieira Alves P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12065121 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature