Avian Cestodes of the Ivory Coast

Between 1985 and 1988, the cestodes of 1,252 wild birds (174 species) from the Ivory Coast (West Africa) were collected and studied. Of these birds, 15.7% were parasitized by an estimated 95-100 species of tapeworms, 55 of them having been determined or described. Most of the parasites were found in new hosts, and numerous new geographical records are reported. In general, both the prevalence and intensity of infection were low. All the parasites were cyclophyllideans distributed mainly in the families Dilepididae, Hymenolepididae, and Paruterinidae. Of particular interest was the presence of 3 species of the family Metadilepididae in the collections.