Platyhelminths from the South African Clawed Toad, or Platanna (Xenopus laevis)

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Abstract
Since the discovery by Shapiro and Zwarenstein (1934) that females of Xenopus laevis (Daudin, 1802) respond to hormones present in the urine of pregnant women, this species of amphibian has proved to be a useful experimental animal. It is easily kept in captivity and can be reared through all its developmental stages without difficulty.This species, the clawed toad or platanna, is commonly used in South African Universities as a type for first year dissection. This has given the opportunity to check large numbers of specimens for the more obvious parasites, i.e. those which live in the gallbladder, the urinary bladder, the peritoneal cavity and the pericardial cavity. A similar large scale survey of intraintestinal parasites has not been feasible, although many alimentary canals have been searched for parasites.