Phylogenetic relationships and further unknown diversity of diplostomids (Diplostomida: Diplostomidae) parasitic in kingfishers.

Kingfishers (Alcedinidae Rafinesque) are common inhabitants of wetlands and are known to be definitive hosts to a wide range of digeneans that parasitize fish as second intermediate hosts. Among these digeneans, members of the Diplostomidae Poirier, 1886 (diplostomids) are particularly common. Recent studies of diplostomids collected from kingfishers have revealed that they are probably more diverse than currently known. This particularly concerns the genera Van Haitsma, 1925 and Yamaguti, 1934. In the present work, we studied seven diplostomid taxa from kingfishers in Brazil, the USA and the Philippines. Partial DNA sequences of the nuclear large ribosomal subunit (28S) and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (1) genes were obtained, and 28S sequences were used to study the phylogenetic interrelationships of these diplostomids. We provide the first DNA sequences from Dubois et Rausch, 1950 and a member of Dubois, 1952. n. gen. is erected for a previously recognized species-level lineage of and a new generic diagnosis of is provided. n. sp., n. sp. and n. sp. are described, and a description of newly collected, high-quality specimens of Van Haitsma, 1925 (the type-species of the genus) is provided.