PARASITES IN COLD BLOOD: CHARACTERIZATION AND DIVERSITY OF PARASITES INFECTING REPTILES

It is estimated that approximately half of the species living on Earth are parasites, and yet, with the exception of a few groups with economical or medical impact, its diversity remains mostly under explored. In this seminar I will present the research that our group (Applied Phylogenetics) is conducting on parasites of reptiles. This talk will focus on the research that is being done on two of the most common endoparasitic groups, the hemoparasites of the genus Hepatozoon, and the pinworms of the family Oxyuridae. I will show the results regarding their diversity and distribution patterns, and present the research we are currently conducting in the Canary Islands using different parasites and reptile groups to assess which factors determine their distribution.

Ana Perera received her PhD degree from the University of Salamanca (Spain) and a postdoctoral grant at CIBIO-InBIO. During her career she has studied the phylogeography and ecological adaptations of lizards in different archipelagos (Balearic Islands, Cape Verde and Seychelles), and the phylogeographic patterns of reptiles across the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa. Since 2013 she is an auxiliary reseacher at CIBIO-InBIO. Her current research is focused on the study of the diversity of parasites of reptiles and host-parasite relationships.

[Group Leader: David James Harris, Applied Phylogenetics]

Image credits: Ana Pereira and Fátima Jorge