The life cycle ofOpisthioglyphe locellus Kossack 1910 (Trematoda, plagiorchiidae), a parasite of shrews (Soricidae)

Abstract

The life cycle ofOpisthioglyphe locellus Kossack 1910 is elucidated for the first time in Europe. For the experiments xiphidiocercariae and metacercariae were taken from a pond near Ulm (Federal Republic of Germany). The first intermediate host is the freshwater snailPlanorbarius corneus L. while freshwater snails and larvae of Anisoptera andDytiscus marginalis L. were found to be the second intermediate hosts. Shrews (Crocidura russula Herrmann andSorex araneus L.) were infested by feeding them with cysts and adult trematodes were recovered from the intestine. Infestation experiments did not succeed with ducklings, canaries or mice. Eggs appeared in the faeces of the shrews after 3–6 days, and for maturation 6 weeks at room temperature were needed. Laboratory rearedPlanorbarius corneus were infected by feeding them with mature eggs. The snails shed cercariae after 57 days (room temperature). A comparison with the life history of the same trematode described by Macey and Moore (1958) from North America shows clear differences in the morphology and biology of the larval stages. Therefore, it is supposed that the North American trematode represents a different species and thatOpisthioglyphe locellus is not a holarctic species.