Cytochrome b lineages of Haemoproteus tinniculi in the endangered saker falcon (Falco cherrug) in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Despite the ecological importance and social popularity of falcons, many elements of their biology remain unknown, including the variety of parasites that infect them in the wild and in captivity. Some of these are from the common alveolate genus Haemoproteus, which parasitise birds worldwide. We investigated the genetic diversity of Haemoproteus tinnunculi infecting the captive saker falcons (Falco cherrug) to describe their phylogenetic relationships. The overall prevalence of H. tinnunculi collected between December 2018 and February 2020 was 4.53% (58/1280). A fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of H. tinnunculi was amplified from fifty-eight blood samples. Our findings indicate that two lineages of H. tinnunculi infect falcons in Saudi Arabia, one of which is reported here for the first time. These findings will inform the future investigation of phylogenetic relationships and genetic diversity of Haemoproteus parasites in falcons.