Studies on the parasites of Cardium edule L.: Cercaria fulbrighti n.sp., a Gymnophallus larva with a forked tail

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Abstract
A summary of the trematode parasites which have been recorded from the cockle is given.A furcocercous, Gymnophallus larva, Cercaria fulbrighti n.sp., from the marine bivalve Cardium edule L., is described from Plymouth, England. The tail of this larva may degenerate completely while the cercaria is still within the sporocyst.Simultaneous development of more than one species of cercaria has been recorded in four out of 420 specimens of C. edule L. Two double and two triple infections were found.Available evidence suggests a phylogenetic relationship between the Gymnophallus group and certain of the Furcocercous cercariae.