Researchers from the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IEE RAS), together with colleagues from the Central Mindanao University (Philippines), studied parasitic flatworms in Scotophilus kuhlii bats on the island of Mindanao.
Four species of trematodes were found in the bats' intestines: Anchitrema sp., Caprimolgorchis cf. molenkampi, Papillatrium parvouterus, and Paralecithodendrium ovimagnosum. For the first time, molecular data was obtained for these parasites using several genetic markers, allowing them to clarify their phylogenetic relationships.
Molecular analysis of Papillatrium parvouterus revealed that Philippine specimens exhibit significant genetic differences from European specimens previously classified as the same species.
Equally interesting results were obtained for Caprimolgorchis cf. molenkampi. Philippine specimens were found to possess a pseudogonotyl (a specialized structure near the ventral sucker), previously thought to be characteristic of only one genus of South American trematodes. This may indicate a more complex evolution of bat trematodes than previously thought.
Figure 1. Trematodes Scotophilus kuhlii. A - Papillatrium parvouterus; B - Papilla of Papillatrium parvouterus (SEM); C - Paralecithodendrium ovimagnosum; D - Caprimolgorchis cf. molenkampi; E - Anchitrema sp.
A member of the genus Anchitrema proved to me the most interesting specimen on the roaster. The newly discovered specimen differs from all known species in the size of its suckers and likely represents a new species to science. Furthermore, previously proposed hypotheses regarding the genus Anchitrema's membership in the superfamily Microphalloidea were confirmed for the first time.
These results demonstrate the need for further research on bat trematodes using an integrative approach combining morphological and molecular methods.
The article was published in the journal Systematics and Biodiversity: Sokolov S., Mohagan A. & Vlasenkov S. Phylogenetic analysis of microphalloid digeneans (Platyhelminthes: Trematoda: Microphalloidea) from Scotophilus kuhlii Leach, 1821 (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) in the Philippines. Systematics and Biodiversity 24(1): 2633314. Doi: 10.1080/14772000.2026.2633314