The Biology of Pentastomids

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the biology of pentastomids and several of the most important deficiencies are outlined. Pentastomids, otherwise known as linguatulids or tongueworms, are a relatively neglected and poorly understood class of endoparasites, which occupy a unique position among invertebrates in that, as adults, they are entirely restricted to the respiratory tract of vertebrates: the majority of species grow to maturity in the lungs. About 90% of species infect reptiles, and it is probable that they have been associated with these hosts since the Mesozoic. Despite this long period for potential adaptive radiation, the basic body design is remarkably conservative, and pentastomids comprise a homogeneous and distinctive systematic assemblage of about 100 species. All possess a vermiform, often conspicuously annulated abdomen, usually strongly united with a rounded cephalothorax, which bears, on its ventral surface, a small sucking mouth flanked by two pairs of hooks. Pentastomids, in common with other parasites, are regulators of host populations and many of the species recovered from zoo autopsies. In some cases, host death is directly or indirectly attributable to a pentastomid infection.