Search

The family Hippoboscidae is an ectoparasite that primarily inhabits bats and relies on the host's blood for sustenance. This research provides the first complete mitochondrial genome of Nycteribia formosana, which shares similar characteristics with other dipteran insects. The circularized mitochondrial genome, spanning 15,107 bp, encompasses 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNA), two ribosomal RNA genes, and a control region. The nucleotide composition of A, C, G, and T is 40.4%, 10.9%, 6.7%, and 42.0%, respectively. The findings from the phylogenetic analysis suggest that the species under investigation forms a cluster with other species belonging to the family Nycteribiidae. Consequently, this study provides valuable insights for the identification of N. formosana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phthiridium szechuanum is a bat surface parasite under the family Nycteribiidae that prefers to roost in the hair of bats to feed on their blood. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of P. szechuanum was studied for the first time using Illumina sequencing technology. The mitochondrial genome was 14,896 bp in size and was predicted to encode 37 genes including 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and 2 ribosomal RNA genes. Phylogenetic trees were constructed using the IQ-TREE web server and phylogenetic analysis was performed using the maximum likelihood method, and P. szechuanum was found to be phylogenetically closest to Basilia ansifera. These data will provide a molecular biological approach to the species identification of P. szechuanum and provide a new reference for further studies on the population genetics and phylogeny of the family Nycteribiidae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species of the family Nycteribiidae are blood-sucking ectoparasites that parasitize bats. To further enrich the molecular data of species in the family Nycteribiidae, the complete mitochondrial genome of Nycteribia parvula was sequenced for the first time in this study. The complete mitochondrial genome of N. parvula is 16,060 base pairs (bp) in size, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and a control region. The nucleotide contents of A, T, G, and C are respectively 40.86%, 42.19%, 6.51%, and 10.44%. The phylogenetic analysis based on 13 PCGs supports the monophyly of the family Nycteribiidae, and N. parvula is the closest relative to Phthiridium szechuanum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mitochondrial genome of Parasitus fimetorum was sequenced to study the Parasitidae tRNA gene secondary structure in Parasitiformes. tRNAscan-SE and ARWEN identified and inferred the secondary structures of 22 tRNA genes of Parasitus fimetorum, which were compared to 22 tRNA genes in sequenced Parasitidae mitochondrial genomes. The results showed that most tRNA genes of Parasitidae had a typical cloverleaf secondary structure; the base substitutions or mismatches occurred during the folding process, and the stem region showed less base variation than the loop region, showing high conservation. The base composition showed a clear preference for A + T. Relative synonymous codon usage (RSCU) analysis showed that the third codon of tRNA genes in Parasitidae species preferred to use codons that ended with A or U. ENC-plot analysis showed that most genes were distributed under the standard curve, indicating that codon usage in Parasitidae species was more influenced by natural selection pressure. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Parasitidae is a monophyletic group. This study complements the research on mitochondrial tRNA genes in Parasitidae, which has far-reaching implications for understanding the importance of tRNA gene sequences and secondary structures in comparative genomics and facilitates further studies on the evolution of species in the Parasitidae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time, the complete mitochondrial genome of Parasitus fimetorum was sequenced. The mitochondrial genome is 14,619 bp in length and includes 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, two ribosomal RNA genes, and a control region. The base composition is 35.6% for A, 34.8% for T, 18.2% for G, and 11.4% for C. A phylogenetic tree based on the maximum likelihood (ML) method indicated that Parasitus fimetorum was clustered with Parasitus wangdunqingi within the family Parasitidae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the global pandemic of bat-associated pathogens has led to increasing attention on bat ectoparasites. Numerous studies have identified human-associated pathogens in Nycteribiidae, indicating their potential as vectors. In this study, the first complete sequencing of the mitochondrial genome of Nycteribia allotopa Speiser, 1901 was sequenced and analyzed. We also compared the mitochondrial sequences of N. allotopa with those available in the database for other Nycteribiidae species. The complete mitochondrial genome of N. allotopa was found to be 15,161 bp in size with an A + T content of 82.49%. Nucleotide polymorphism analysis of 13 protein-coding genes from five species of Nycteribiidae showed that nad6 exhibited the most significant variation, while cox1 was the most conserved. Furthermore, selection pressure analysis revealed cox1 to exhibit the strongest purifying selection, while atp8, nad2 , nad4L , and nad5 showed slightly looser purifying selection. Pairwise genetic distances indicated that cox1 and cox2 were evolving comparatively slowly, whereas atp8 , nad2 , and nad6 were evolving comparatively quickly. Phylogenetic trees constructed using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods demonstrated that all four families within the superfamily Hippoboscoidea clustered into one branch each, indicating their monophyly. N. allotopa was found to be most closely related to the same genus N. parvula. This study significantly enriches the molecular database for Nycteribiidae and provides invaluable reference data for future species identification, phylogenetic analysis, and exploration of their potential as vectors for human-associated pathogens. [Display omitted] • The mitochondrial genome of Nycteribia allotopa was sequenced for the first time. • The genome were analyzed and compared with other genome of the family Nycteribiidae. • The phylogenetic relationships of the Hippoboscoidea have been further defined. • It provides a reference for phylogeny and species identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]