Insect trypanosomatids in Papua New Guinea: high endemism and diversity (18S rRNA dataset)
Description
We analyzed the collection of heteropteran hosts (907 specimens from 138 species and 23 families) captured in Papua New Guinea (PNG), a well-known biodiversity hotspot with a considerable number of endemic species of macroorganisms, for the presence of trypanosomatids, the prevalence of infection and host specificity. In addition to discovery of numerous new parasite species, some of which may represent new trypanosomatid genera, we recorded new insect hosts for the widespread trypanosomatid species and revealed potential cases of host-parasite coevolution. Attached is the alignment of sequences used in our assay of trypanosomatid diversity in PNG. In total, 185 trypanosomatid 18S rRNA sequences (147 retrieved from the GenBank and 38 representing typing units unique for PNG) were aligned using MAFFT v. 7.4. Alignment trimming was not performed in order to preserve differences between closely related species.