Family NEMATOTAENIIDAE Lühe, 1910

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Introduction

The Nematotaeniidae Lühe, 1910 is a small family of less than 20 species found exclusively in amphibians and repiles. Nematotaeniids are characterised by a generally cylindrical body form, indistinct segmentation in immature and mature segments and paruterine capsules (specialised outgrowths from the uterine wall that envelop the eggs) replacing the uterus in gravid segments. Five species from two genera are present in Australia. The two genera are easily distinguishable by the numbers of paruterine capsules present in the gravid segment. The genus Cylindrotaenia has only two capsules per segment, whereas Nematotaenia has more than two. The family was revised by Jones (1987).

The life cycle of nematotaeniids has not been determined. Jones and Delvinquier (1991) argued that nematotaeniids have a two host life cycle involving an arthropod as intermediate host. Interestingly, one species, Cylindrotaenia minor, is found on the Australian mainland only in frogs that do not breed in water. This host distribution may indicate that the life cycles are fully terrestrial, not aquatic as Stumpf (1982) suggests.

Key to Australian Nematotaeniid Cestodes

1a. Two paruterine capsules per gravid segment — 2
1b. More than two paruterine capsules per gravid segment — Nematotaenia hylae

2a. Paruterine capsules opposite in gravid segment — Cylindrotaenia minor
2b. Paruterine capsules tandem in gravid segment — 3

3a. Strobila hyperapolytic, parasites of reptiles — Cylindrotaenia hickmani
3b. Strobila apolytic, parasites of reptiles or amphibians — 4

4a. Cirrus microtriches enlarged, parasite of ammphibians — Cylindrotaenia criniae
4b. Cirrus microtriches not enlarged, parasite of reptiles — Cylindrotaenia allisonae

General References

Jones, M.K. 1987. A taxonomic revision of the Nematotaeniidae Lühe, 1910 (Cestoda: Cyclophyllidea). Systematic Parasitology 10: 165-245

Jones, M.K. & Delvinquier, B.L.J. 1991. Nematotaeniid cestodes from Australian Anura. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 30: 492

Stumpf I.V.K. 1982. Ciclo evolutiva da Cylindrotaenia americana Jewell, 1916 (Cyclophyllidea: Nematotaeniidae) em Bufo ictericus. Acta Biologica Paranaense 10/11: 41-52

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