Life cycles of two corallobothriin cestodes (Proteocephaloidea) from Algonquin Park, Ontario

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Abstract
Corallobothrium parafimbriatum and Corallotaenia minutia infected bullheads in all lakes sampled but Billy Lake, where only C. parafimbriatum occurred. Plerocercoids and maturing worms are in the gut of bullheads throughout the year although gravid adults occur only during the summer in potentially reproductive bullheads. Fully differentiated plerocercoids of C. parafimbriatum grew in Cyclops bicuspidatus, C. vernalis, Tropocyclops prasinus, and an immature cyclopoid; C. minutia developed in C. vernalis, C. parafimbriatum required 21 days at 18C for growth, differentiation, and invagination or retraction of the scolex, and C. minutia required 39 days at 18C. After initial development in a copepod, plerocercoid I of C. minutia requires parenteral development in a fish, whereas plerocercoid I of C. parafimbriatum does not. Parenteral plerocercoids of C. minutia, Proteocephalus ambloplitis, and dead metacestodes were common in bullheads. As with other proteocephalids, corallobothriin plerocercoid I develops to plerocercoid II in fish. Plerocercoid I from copepods may enter the viscera, but unlike P. ambloplitis and Ophiotaenia filaroides the end organ atrophies. In the gut of the definitive host plerocercoid II increases in size and develops a metascolex and modified protonephridial system, before adult development ensues.

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