Clinostomum complanatum and Clinostomum marginatum (Rudolphi, 1819) (Digenea: Clinostomidae) Are Separate Species Based on Differences in Ribosomal DNA

Infections by metacercariae of Clinostomum (Leidy, 1856) species adversely affect aquacultured fish and are potentially transmissible to humans. Molecular methodologies are efficient tools, which enable diagnosis of all life-history stages of trematodes in their diverse hosts. The small subunit of ribosomal DNA genes of adults of the Old World Clinostomum complanatum (Rudolphi, 1819) and the New World Clinostomum marginatum (Rudolphi, 1819), obtained from a little egret Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus, 1766) and the great blue heron Ardea herodias (Linnaeus, 1758), respectively, were amplified, sequenced, and aligned. The resulting alignment was used to develop a genetic assay to differentiate between these species.