Pseudophyllidea

Name

Greek: pseudos = wrong, phyllon = leaf.

Classification

Order of the cestode subclass Eucestoda containing the important genera Diphyllobothrium , Ligula , Schistocephalus , Spirometra , Bothriocephalus , Eubothrium , and Triaenophorus .

Life Cycle

Figure 1.

Fig. 1

Life cycle of pseudophyllidean cestodes. (A) Diphyllobothrium latum inhabits the intestine of humans, cats, dogs, and other fish-eating animals (final hosts), being attached to the intestinal wall with two longitudinal bothria. (B) Schistocephalus solidus occurs in the intestines of a wide range of fish-eating birds. Ligula intestinalis has a very similar life cycle. 1 Final hosts. 2 Adults. D. latum reaches a maximum size of 25 m; its mature proglottids are broader than long; coils of the gravid uterus form a centrally located rosette. S. solidus is lanceolate shaped with a size of 5–8 × 1 cm, bothria-like apical indentations are of poor adhesive power. 3The operculated eggs are excreted unembryonated; completion of...