STUDIES ON THE LIFE HISTORY OF SPELOTREMA NICOLLI (TREMATODA: MICROPHALLIDAE) WITH THE DESCRIPTION OF A NEW MICROPHALLID CERCARIA

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Abstract
The life history of Spelotrema nicolli Cable and Hunninen, 1938, has been traced experimentally and the various stages have been described. The cercaria develops in sporocysts in the digestive gland of Bittium alternatum (Say). The blue crab, Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, serves as the second intermediate host. In experimental infections, the cercariae were found to penetrate the gills, and pass by way of the blood stream to the tissues. Metacercariae from naturally infected crabs were fed to young herring gulls, Larus argentatus Pontoppidan, from all of which numerous adult S. nicolli were recovered. A re-description of Cercaria nassicola Cable and Hunninen, 1938, is given. This ubiquitous species occurs in the mud snail, Nassa obsoleta (Say). The taxonomy and relationships of the Microphallidae are discussed.