New morphological and molecular data for Haemoproteus (H.) paramultipigmentatus in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil

Parasites of the genus Haemoproteus have been reported in almost all avian clades and zoogeographic regions, except Antarctica. However, despite the large number of reports worldwide, they are poorly studied in the Neotropical region, which includes the Atlantic Forest, a biodiversity hotspot with more than 890 bird species, of which 24% are endemic. Haemoproteus (Haemoproteus) paramultipigmentatus was described by morphological and molecular analyses in 2013 infecting Columbiform birds in Mexico. However, since the original description this parasite has not been studied in detail. Here, we investigate the prevalence of Haemoproteus spp. in Brazilian Columbiformes and conducted a taxonomic integrative study of the species Haemoproteus (Haemoproteus) paramultipigmentatus, including new morphological and molecular data from a Brazilian population. Moreover, we provide discussions about the geographic distribution and phylogenetic relationships between different lineages of this parasite. Our findings demonstrated a high prevalence of Haemoproteus spp. infection in Brazilian Columbiformes, which is in accordance with previous studies. Morphological characterization of H. paramultipigmentatus revealed minor differences from the original description. Through molecular and phylogenetic analyses we identified a new lineage of H. paramultipigmentatus that was added to the genetic databases. Our findings also suggest a new geographical distribution for this hemoparasite, including South American countries, and raise discussions about its current distribution.