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Updated: Oct 25, 2025

A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles
Published on: July 11, 2025
Molecular phylogenetic analysis of the problematic genus Cardicola (Digenea: Aporocotylidae) indicates massive
Russell Q-Y Yong1, Thomas H Cribb1, Scott C Cutmore1
1The University of Queensland, School of Biological Sciences, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia.
Abstract:
Novel multi-locus sequence data were used to assess the molecular phylogenetic relationships of fish blood flukes showing similarity to the genus Cardicola Short, 1953 (Trematoda: Aporocotylidae). Analyses of three ribosomal (ITS2, 28S & 18S) subregions and one mitochondrial (cox1) DNA subregion shows that the hitherto-monophyletic clade formed by species of Cardicola Short, 1953 also includes species of three other genera - Braya Nolan & Cribb, 2006, Elaphrobates Bullard & Overstreet, 2003 and Rhaphidotrema Yong & Cribb, 2011 - as well as a new, morphologically distinct species discovered from the heart of the yellowfin tripodfish, Tripodichthys angustifrons (Tetraodontiformes: Triacanthidae). In the context of conflicting morphological, molecular and ecological data, we argue that the recognition of seven genera produces a more satisfactory taxonomy for these parasites than considering them all as species of Cardicola. We thus recognise Cardicola (as an explicitly polyphyletic taxon) together with Braya, Elaphrobates, Rhaphidotrema and three new genera. We propose Allocardicola n. gen. for A. johnpagei n. sp. from T. angustifrons, Chanicola n. gen. for three species of Cardicola that infect the chanid Chanos chanos, and Spirocaecum n. gen. for six species of Cardicola that infect siganid fishes. We interpret the pattern of diversification seen in the clade of these seven genera as one of multiple host-switching events followed by diversification among closely-related hosts and differing levels of morphological divergence.
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