Studies on the morphology, ecology and life-cycle ofMeiogytnnophallus minutus(Cobbold, 1859) comb. nov. (Trematoda: Gymnophallidae)

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Abstract
Meiogymnophallvs minutus(Cobbold, 1859) comb, nov., fromCardium eduleL. andHaematopus ostralegus occidentalisNeumann is shown to be synonymous withLecithodendrium somateriae (nonLevinsen, 1881) Jameson, 1902in partim, Cercaria margaritaeLebour, 1907,Oymnophalloides oedemiae(Jameson & Nicoll, 1913) James, 1964,Cercaria cambrensisCole, 1938, andGymnophallus nereicolaRebecq & Prévot, 1962. The intensity of infestation of cockles, with the metacercariae, increases with the size and particularly with the age of this host and varies with the seasonal migrations of the final host. The connexion between the metacercaria and the adult is demonstrated experimentally. Domestic ducklings used as experimental hosts were susceptible to infection when fed with minced cockles but not when fed on baby chick crumbs.We are very grateful to Professor E. W. Knight-Jones for the provision of working facilities and for help with the manuscript and to the Science Research Council for a grant to one of us (E.A.B.) which made the work possible.