Acta Parasitologica, Vol. 52, No. 4, 2007,
335–341.
DOI: 10.2478/s11686-007-0043-y
Voitto Haukisalmi*, Lotta M. Hardman, Jukka Niemimaa and Heikki Henttonen
–
Taxonomy and genetic divergence of Paranoplocephala kalelai (Tenora, Haukisalmi et Henttonen, 1985) (Cestoda, Anoplocephalidae) in the grey-sided vole Myodes rufocanus in northern Fennoscandia
Finnish Forest Research Institute, Vantaa Research Unit, PO Box 18, FI-01301 Vantaa, Finland
*Corresponding author:
voitto.haukisalmi@metla.fi
ABSTRACT Paranoplocephala kalelai (Tenora, Haukisalmi et Henttonen, 1985) is an anoplocephalid cestode that primarily parasitizes the grey-sided vole Myodes rufocanus
(syn. Clethrionomys rufocanus) in northern Fennoscandia. In a preliminary molecular phylogenetic analysis, the cytochrome oxidase I (mtDNA) sequences of P. kalelai
formed two divergent sublineages originating from two different localities in northern Finland and northern Norway. The present data confirm the existence of two strongly
supported clades and show that their geographic distributions are overlapping in northernmost Finland. Relatively deep genetic divergence and coexistence of the two main clades
at one of the localities suggest that the material may include two biological species. However, because the specimens representing the two mtDNA clades of P. kalelai
are not morphometrically sufficiently differentiated and because the mtDNA clade of the specimens from the type locality is unknown, they are not assigned to different species.
Comparison with the existing phylogeographic data of M. rufocanus suggests that the genetic structure of this host-specific cestode reflects the glacial and post-glacial history
of its primary host. Aredescription is presented for P. kalelai.
KEY WORDS:
Cestoda, Anoplocephalidae, Paranoplocephala kalelai, Rodentia, Myodes rufocanus, cytochrome oxidase I, mtDNA