Host specificity is linked to intraspecific variability in the genus Lamellodiscus (Monogenea)

We investigated whether host specificity is linked to variability within species of Lamellodiscus monogeneans, which are gill ectoparasites of the Sparidae. We sampled fish parasites in the northeastern part of the Mediterranean Sea: 4 specialist species, using I single host species, and 3 generalist species, using 2 distinct host species. Intraspecific variability was assessed from 2 different datasets. Morphometric variability of the attachment organ, called the haptor, was estimated first from measurements of several sclerified haptoral parts on 102 individuals. Genetic variability was calculated based on comparisons of sequences derived from the first internal transcribed spacer (ITS-1) of nuclear ribosomal DNA of 62 individuals. Morphometric variances in the specialist versus generalist species were compared via principal component analysis and F-tests, and uncorrected genetic distances (p-distances) were estimated within each species. We showed that the inter-individual variance of morphometric characters, as well as p-distances, are clearly greater within generalist species than specialist ones. These findings suggest that a relative increase in morphological and molecular variability enhances the possibility to colonize new host species in monogeneans, and supports the hypothesis that intraspecific variability could be a potential determinant of host specificity.