A study of the life history of Microphallus paragrapsi Smith 1983 (Trematoda: Microphallidae)

Abstract

Metacercariae of Microphallus paragrapsi were found in the nervous system of smooth pebble crab Philyra laevis. Sporocysts were found in the hepatopancreas of the intertidal gastropod Assiminea brazieri. Under laboratory conditions, cercariae were found to emerge from the snail host and invade the intertidal crab P. laevis, where they subsequently encysted within the nerves innervating the legs and claws. Adult M. paragrapsi were found in the gut of the Pacific gull Larus pacificus. -from Author