The first phylogenetic reconstruction of Nippostrongylinae (Nematoda: Heligmonellidae) reveals 3 new genera, the polyphyletic nature of Carolinensis and Vexillata, and identifies 5 clades with varying associations with mammals

The Nippostrongylinae is a group of strongylid nematodes that includes
species typically associated with coprophagous mammals. In the New World,
the taxon is represented by 82 species within 11 genera. To evaluate the
phylogenetic signal from these characteristics, we use genetic data to
reconstruct the first phylogeny for the Nippostrongylinae using nuclear
and mitochondrial genes and include representatives of the most common and
diverse genera. The reconstructed phylogeny features five distinct clades
and allows us to identify three non-monophyletic taxa
including Carolinensis, Vexillata and Hassalstrongylus. From
these, Carolinensis s. l. is divided into four genera including
Carolinensis, Boreostrongylus, Neoboreostrongylus n. gen. and Tepalcuanema
n. gen. Stunkardionema is resurrected to include Vexillata noviberiae and
Hassalstrongylus is divided into two, establishing Lovostrongylus n. gen.
to include species that are closely related to Guerrerostrongylus and
Trichofreitasia. Our results reveal the existence of an
additional unnamed genus and underscore the usefulness of framing
morphological characters in a comparative framework.