Phylogenetic analysis of the class Sporozoea (phylum Apicomplexa Levine, 1970): evidence for the independent evolution of heteroxenous life cycles

Abstract

A phylogenetic analysis of representative genera in the class Sporozoea was undertaken using biological and morphological features to infer evolutionary relationships among the widely recognized groups in the class. Gregarines were used as a functional outgroup to the remaining sporozoa (adeleids, eimeriorins, haemosporinids, and piroplasms). The piroplasms were shown to be closely related to the adeleid parasites. Species of Babesia and Theileria were shown not to form a sister group to the haemosporinids as has been frequently suggested. The data indicate that the biologically diverse family Haemogregarinidae should be divided into at least 3 families (Haemogregarinidae Neveu-Lemaire, 1901, containing the genera Haemogregarina and Cyrilia; Karyolysidae Wenyon, 1926, containing the genus Karyolysus; Hepatozoidae Wenyon, 1926, containing the genus Hepatozoon) because the 4 genera currently within the family do not form a monophyletic group. Correlation between parasite phylogeny and taxonomic affinities of their definitive hosts suggests that the definitive hosts of heteroxenous sporozoa are their ancestral hosts. Heteroxenous sporozoan life cycles apparently have evolved independently to adapt to changes in the feeding behaviors of their definitive hosts.