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First record of the ferret-badger Melogale cucphuongensis Nadler et al., 2011 (Carnivora: Mustelidae), with description of a new subspecies, in southeastern China.

ABSTRACT: The ferret-badger Melogale cucphuongensis was first described from Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam, with no subsequent reports in later years. During our surveys of the Wuyishan Mountains of Fujian Province in southeastern China during May 2018, a Melogale specimen was identified. Analysis based on pelage and skull characteristics as well as molecular data indicated it to be a new subspecies, which we nominated as Melogale cucphuongensis guadunensis subsp. nov. This is the first record of the species in China. Therefore, this research not only expands the distribution range of the species beyond Vietnam, but also indicates that geographic variation of the species should have been proceeding in southeastern China.

SUBMITTER: Li S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6822924 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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First record of the ferret-badger Melogale cucphuongensis Nadler et al., 2011 (Carnivora: Mustelidae), with description of a new subspecies, in southeastern China.

Li Song S Yu Guo-Hua GH Liu Shuo S Jin Chang-Shan CS

Zoological research 20191101 6

The ferret-badger Melogale cucphuongensis was first described from Cuc Phuong National Park in Vietnam, with no subsequent reports in later years. During our surveys of the Wuyishan Mountains of Fujian Province in southeastern China during May 2018, a Melogale specimen was identified. Analysis based on pelage and skull characteristics as well as molecular data indicated it to be a new subspecies, which we nominated as Melogale cucphuongensis guadunensis subsp. nov. Th ...[more]

PMID: 31592583

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Project description:BackgroundNematodes of the family Physalopteridae (Spirurida: Physalopteroidea) commonly parasitize the alimentary canal of all major vertebrate groups. However, many physalopterid species are not adequately described, especially regarding the detailed morphology of the cephalic end. The current genetic database for Physaloptera species is still very limited, which seriously hampers molecular-based species identification. Additionally, the systematic status of some genera and the evolutionary relationships of the subfamilies in the Physalopteridae remain under debate.MethodsNew morphological data for Physaloptera sibirica was gathered using light and scanning electron microscopy based on newly collected specimens from the hog badger Arctonyx collaris Cuvier (Carnivora: Mustelidae) in China. Six different genetic markers, including nuclear small ribosomal DNA (18S), large ribosomal DNA (28S) and internal transcribed spacer (ITS), mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) and subunit 2 (cox2), and the 12S small subunit ribosomal RNA gene of P. sibirica were sequenced and analyzed for the first time to our knowledge. Additionally, to construct a basic molecular phylogenetic framework for the Physalopteridae, phylogenetic analyses were performed based on the cox1 and 18S + cox1 genes using maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods.ResultsScanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation displayed the details of the cephalic structures, deirids, excretory pore, caudal papillae, vulva, phasmids and egg of P. sibirica for the first time to our knowledge. Pairwise comparison of the sequences obtained for P. sibirica did not reveal intraspecific divergence regarding the 18S, 28S, cox1 and 12S genetic markers and a low level of divergence in the ITS (0.16%) and cox2 (2.39%) regions. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses showed that the representatives of Physalopteridae formed two major clades (species of Physalopterinae + Thubunaeinae parasitic in terrestrial vertebrates and Proleptinae only occurring in marine or freshwater fishes). Turgida turgida was found nested among representatives of Physaloptera. Physaloptera sibirica clustered together with P. rara. Physalopteroides sp. (Thubunaeinae) formed a sister relationship to the physalopterine Abbreviata caucasica.ConclusionsPhysaloptera sibirica was redescribed, which is the fourth nematode parasite reported from the hog badger A. collaris, and A. collaris represents a new host for P. sibirica. The phylogenetic results challenged the validity of the subfamily Thubunaeinae and of the genus Turgida and supported dividing the family Physalopteridae into two subfamilies, Physalopterinae and Proleptinae. However, we do not make any immediate systematic changes in the Physalopteridae, because a more rigorous study with broader representation of the Physalopteridae is required. These present findings contribute to morphologically identifying P. sibirica more accurately and provide new insights into the systematics of the Physalopteridae.

Dataset Information

First record of the ferret-badger Melogale cucphuongensis Nadler et al., 2011 (Carnivora: Mustelidae), with description of a new subspecies, in southeastern China.

Publications

First record of the ferret-badger <i>Melogale cucphuongensis</i> Nadler et al., 2011 (Carnivora: Mustelidae), with description of a new subspecies, in southeastern China.

Similar Datasets

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