Diphyllobothrium dendriticum (Cestoda: Pseudophyllidea) from Tasmania

Abstract

Adult cestodes recovered from the small intestines of water rats (Hydromys chrysogaster) in Northern Tasmania were identified, on the basis of their morphology and the developmental requirements of their coracidia, as non-marine members of the genus Diphyllobothrium. The exact taxonomic position of this diphyllobothriid is not known. It differs in some respects from Stephens' (1908) description of a parasite (Diphyllobothrium parvum) obtained from the same locality, but could not be clearly differentiated from D. dendriticum. Thus, until more information is available about the full life cycle of this parasite, we consider it to be D. dendriticum. ac]19860728 © 1987 Dr W. Junk Publishers.