First report of a member of the family Mermithidae parasitizing the sandhopper Orchestoidea tuberculata (Amphipoda, Talitridae) in Chile

Abstract

Specimens of the sandhopper Orchestoidea tuberculata (Amphipoda; Talitridae) collected from sandy beaches in south-central Chile, were found to be parasitized by juvenile mermithids, constituting the first record of a mermithid infecting a marine amphipod in Chile. A morphological description of juveniles is provided. Sequence analyses based on mitochondrial COI and nuclear 18S rDNA of the mermithids showed extremely low genetic variation. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that the mermithid is more closely related to Hexamermis agrotis, which parasitize Coleoptera, than to Thaumamermis zealandica, which parasitizes New Zealand confamilial talitrid amphipods.