Folia Parasitologica 51[4] 320-326 (2004) | DOI: 10.14411/fp.2004.040

The life cycle of Paracardicoloides yamagutii Martin, 1974 (Digenea: Sanguinicolidae)

Matthew J. Nolan^1,2, Thomas H. Cribb^1,2

¹ Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia

² Centre for Marine Studies, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia

The sanguinicolids Paracardicoloides yamagutii Martin, 1974 and Plethorchis acanthus Martin, 1975 were obtained from their definitive hosts, Anguilla reinhardtii Steindachner and Mugil cephalus Linnaeus (respectively) in the tributaries of the Brisbane River, Queensland, Australia. Two putative sanguinicolid cercariae were collected from a hydrobiid gastropod, Posticobia brazieri Smith, in the same waters. The two cercariae differ markedly in size and the form of their sporocysts. Both putative cercariae develop in the digestive gland of Po. brazieri. The ITS2 rDNA region from these sanguinicolids and a Clinostomum species (utilised as an outgroup due to the close morphological similarities between the cercarial stages of the Clinostomidae and the Sanguinicolidae) were sequenced and aligned. Comparison of the ITS2 sequences showed one cercaria to be that of P. yamagutii. This is the first sanguinicolid life history determined by a molecular method. P. yamagutii is the fourth sanguinicolid known to utilise a freshwater hydrobiid gastropod as its intermediate host. ITS2 rDNA is effective in distinguishing sanguinicolids at the species level.

Keywords: Paracardicoloides yamagutii, Sanguinicolidae, Anguilla reinhardtii, Anguillidae, Posticobia brazieri, Hydrobiidae, ITS2 rDNA

Received: November 28, 2003; Accepted: May 21, 2004; Published: December 1, 2004  Show citation