Current knowledge of trematodes (Platyhelminthes: Digenea, Aspidogastrea) in Chile

Abstract

The aim of the present review was to evaluate the state of knowledge of trematodes (Platyhelminthes: Trematoda) in Chile, covering taxonomy, biology, geographic distribution, and a checklist of all taxa reported in the country. A total of 277 articles published between 1849 and December 2020, have been analyzed. A total of 215 taxa belonging to the subclasses Digenea and Aspidosgastrea have been reported from Chile, 119 of them identified to species level and only three species with completely described life cycles. Trematodes from Chile were found parasitizing both native and exotic species, however, no records from insects and most crustacean classes exist. Overall, 159 out of 3989 potential host native species were reported as hosts for trematodes. Molecular tools were used in more recent taxonomic studies. Although research on trematodes in Chile is on the rise, there is a clear need for more detailed taxonomic studies to include integrative taxonomy approach, deposition of helminths in collections and the training of new generation of parasitologists to better understand the diversity, ecology and evolutionary relationships of trematodes in the region.