Aspidogaster conchicola is a trematode parasite of the Aspidogastrea subclass that commonly infects freshwater clams. It has not been well studied since it is of little economic or medical importance, but A. conchicola and its fellow aspidogastreans are of significant biological importance since they may represent a step between free-living and parasitic organisms.[3]
| Aspidogaster conchicola | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Platyhelminthes |
| Class: | Trematoda |
| Order: | Aspidogastrida |
| Family: | Aspidogastridae |
| Genus: | Aspidogaster |
| Species: | A. conchicola
|
| Binomial name | |
| Aspidogaster conchicola | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
|
Aspidogaster amurensis Achmerov, 1956 | |
Morphology
editA. conchicola has a large ventral opisthaptor that extends most of its body's length, which is divided into sections called alveoli or loculi. It also possesses a longitudinal septum, a horizontal layer of muscle and connective tissue that separates the dorsal and ventral compartments of the body. The tegument is similar to that of other parasitic flatworms.
Life cycle
editAspidogaster conchicola infects many species of freshwater bivalves belonging to several families, as well as freshwater snails, many species of freshwater fishes of several families, and freshwater tortoises.[4]
Hosts include: Sinanodonta woodiana.[5]
References
edit- ^ Thomas Cribb (2010). "Aspidogaster conchicola Baer, 1827". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
- ^ Cribb, T. (2010). Aspidogaster conchicola Baer, 1827. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=366394 on 2017-11-20
- ^ Schmidt, Gerald (2005). Foundations of Parasitology. New York, NY: McGraw Hill. pp. 209–216. ISBN 0-07-234898-4.
- ^ Rohde, K. (1972). "The Aspidogastrea, especially Multicotyle purvisi Dawes, 1941". Advances in Parasitology. 10: 77–151. doi:10.1016/S0065-308X(08)60173-6. ISBN 978-0-12-031710-3.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Pavljuchenko, O. V. (2005). "The first record of the helminth Aspidogaster conchicola (Aspidogastrea) in Sinanodonta woodiana (Mollusca, Bivalvia) from Ukraine". Vestnik Zoologii Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Vol. 39(3): page 50.