The genome of new Echinophthiridae Enderlein species Antarctophthirus nevelskoyi

A close ecological relationship with seals makes bloodsucking prickly lice aneffective vector of invasive and infectious disease pathogens, in particular,Acanthocheilonema spirocauda (Nematoda: Onchocercidae), SESV - Southernelephant seal virus(To-gaviridae, Alphavirus), Bartonella henselae (Rhizobiales:Bartonellaceae). Echinophthiridae must necessarily be included in the analysis ofpossible pathogen circulation patterns on small sea and ocean islands, asextremely high intensities of population interactions are achieved there.Recently, the research of representatives of the Echinophthiridae has beenintensified, because they deserve attention, primarily, as vectors of various sealpathogens. In addition, the analysis of the genetic polymorphism ofEchinophthiridae can provide valuable information about the interpopulationcontacts of their seal hosts, which, if it is regularly compared with genetic data onseals and the results of monitoring of their migrations, can bring the study of thebiology of these marine mammals to a qualitatively new level. The new species A. nevelskoyi can be morphologically distinguished from other species of genus Antarctophthiurs, but the level of its genetic divergence from close species A.callorhini and A. microchirremains unknown. The goal of the study was to resolve this problem with NGS genome sequencing.