Phylogeny and phylogeography of the genus Luciobarbus (Haeckel, 1843) in Algeria inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequence variation.

Phylogenetic relationships and biogeographical patterns of the genus Luciobarbus in Algeria were investigated by analysing the complete cytochrome b sequence variation. With regard to species of the Maghreb Province and the Iberian Peninsula, phylogenetic analysis resulted in five strongly supported clades and a non-monophyletic origin for the Algerian populations. The present study supports the existence of two distinct lineages of L. setivimensis which could have diverged posterior to the emplacement of the Kabylides onto the African margin. Analysis of the 48 haplotypes detected within populations showed a clear phylogeographic structure strongly correlated with species' geographical distribution. Two haplotypes were found to be shared between different species attesting the possibility that an introgression would have occurred within the genus Luciobarbus in Algeria. The divergence time estimate suggests a rapid radiation of the genus Luciobarbus in Algeria and a pattern of distribution of populations shaped under paleogeographic conditions such as the tectonic dynamics which have led to the change in the geographic configuration of North Africa at the end of Miocene, the formation of the current fluvial basins' net in the Pliocene as well as the end of the Tell System building in the Pleistocene which seems to have played an important role in the speciation of this genus.

Molecular characterization of avian malaria in the spotless starling (Sturnus unicolor).

We studied the prevalence and genetic diversity of malaria parasites in the poorly investigated spotless starling (Sturnus unicolor) breeding in central Spain, aiming to describe the phylogenetic relationships among them and with other haemosporidians infecting the genus Sturnus. A total of 180 nestlings and 180 adult individuals from four different breeding seasons were screened for haemosporidian parasites using a nested PCR approach for the genera Plasmodium and Haemoproteus. Although the malaria prevalence ranged between years, the overall prevalence was 6.94%. Adults had a higher prevalence than chicks: 12.77 vs. 1.11%, respectively. We molecularly characterized avian malaria isolated in peripheral blood samples taken from malaria-infected individuals. Sequence analyses revealed four unique Plasmodium lineages of avian malaria (STURUNI01, STURUNI02, SYAT05, SGS1) in our spotless starling population. The phylogenetic analysis showed a well-supported clade comprised by STURUNI01, STURUNI02, and SYAT05. The most common lineage (SYAT05) has been previously found in 26 other avian host species, including populations of spotless starling in Portugal. Because this sedentary species is widely distributed throughout the Iberian Peninsula, we suggest that the local transmission of these lineages might place migratory birds at infection risk.

The complete mitogenome of the Moroccan Luciobarbus rifensis Doadrio, Casal-López & Yahyaoui, 2015 (Actinopterygii: Cyprinidae).

The Rifian barbel (Luciobarbus rifensis) is a tetraploid cyprinid species from North Africa. The aim of this work is to characterize the mitogenome of Luciobarbus rifensis in order to contribute in the future exploration of regions. The circular mitogenome of the Rifian barbel (16 607bp) consists of 37 genes (13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 22 tRNA genes). The cyprinid mitogenome is most related to L. rifensis available is L. capito.