Species introduced to novel regions often leave behind many parasite species. Signatures of parasite release could thus be used to resolve cryptogenic (uncertain) origins such as that of Littorina littorea, a European marine snail whose history in North America has been debated for over 100 years. Through extensive field and literature surveys, we examined species richness of parasitic trematod...

Cryptic species cause problems for estimates of biodiversity. In the case of parasites, cryptic species also plague efforts to detect potential zoonotic diseases or invasive pathogens. It is crucial to determine whether the likelihood of finding cryptic species differs among higher parasite taxa, to better calibrate estimates of diversity and monitor diseases. Using published reports of cryptic...

Increasing numbers of Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) in the Mississippi River Delta, USA, have been observed over the past few decades. This piscivorous bird is a definitive host for numerous digenetic trematodes, some of which may cause pathology in a fish host. We conducted a 2-yr survey of intestinal trematodes in 35 Double-crested Cormorants collected in the Mississippi D...

Cryptic parasite diversity is a major issue for taxonomy and systematics, and for attempts to control diseases of humans, domestic animals and wildlife. Here, we re-examine an earlier report that, after correcting for sampling effort, more cryptic species of trematodes are found per published study than for other helminth taxa. We performed a meta-analysis of 110 studies that used DNA sequences...

I investigated the prediction that parasitic castrators can reduce host population density. A survey of the salt marsh snail Cerithidea californica suggested a negative association between snail density and the prevalence of larval trematodes which castrate parasitized snails. Field experiments were conducted to determine the mechanisms by which larval trematodes might affect snail populat ion~...

Adult digenetic trematodes are typically parasites of vertebrates. Sexually mature trematodes occurring in invertebrate hosts are usually regarded as precocious last-larval stages, to which the term 'progenetic' is applied. These progenetic forms are often encysted, and can usually only contribute to the further life history of the species, and, in many cases, can only attain the definitive for...

Based on published records and new data accumulated by the authors, we generated a list of the helminth parasites of marine mammals from off the coast of Argentina. We found 49 reports of helminths parasitizing cetaceans and pinnipeds from Argentina from 1952 to 2015. The list includes 54 taxa of helminths (8 acanthocephalans, 24 nematodes, 11 cestodes and 11 trematodes) associated with 18 spec...

Aim: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of snail’s intermediate host affected with larval stages of different trematodes. Materials and Methods: Snails were collected from ponds, tanks, ditches, canals and crop fields in and around Ranchi. They were transported to the laboratory in water containers and maintained in small aquaria, supplemented with natural food stuff. T...