Molecular evidence indicating that Przhevalskiana silenus, Przhevalskiana aegagri and Przhevalskiana crossii (Dipterae: Oestridae) are one species

Goat warble fly infestation is a subcutaneous myiasis present in many European and Asian countries. The causative agents of this myiasis have been assumed to be Przhevalskiana silenus (Brauer, 1858), P. aegagri (Brauer, 1863) and P. crossii (Patton, 1922) (Diptera, Oestridae). On the basis of morphological and biochemical data, some authors have considered P. silenus, P. aegagri and P. crossii as a single species. To clarify this taxonomic issue, the most variable regions of the mitochondrial gene encoding for the subunit I of cytochrome oxidase (COI) and of the 28S rRNA gene, were characterized molecularly for larvae morphologically identified as P. silenus, P. aegagri and P. crossii. The high genetic homology among the sequences of these putative species (≥ 99.71% for the COI gene and 100% for the 28S gene), indicates that P. aegagri and P. crossii are morphotypes of the single species P. silenus.