Ovoviviparity in the Monogenetic Trematode Polystomoidella oblonga

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Abstract
Of the 30 adults of P. oblonga (Polystomatidae) taken from the bladder of the turtle Sternotherus odoratus in northwestern Florida, 17 had in utero larval and juvenile forms in various stages of development. Only one larva and its empty egg shell occurred in each adult. Detailed descriptions are given of the egg, the gyrodactyloid larva, the 2- and 6-sucker juvenile stages, and the adult. It appears that in this sp. in utero hatching and subsequent development are the rule rather than accidental. As a result, the entire life cycle of the parasite could be passed within the bladder of a single host.
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