STUDIES ON THE TREMATODE FAMILY MICROPHALLIDAE TRAVASSOS, 1921

IV. THE LIFE CYCLE AND ECOLOGY OF GYNAECOTYLA NASSICOLA (CABLE AND HUNNINEN, 1938) YAMAGUTI, 1939

¹ From Amherst College, Amherst, Mass. and the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass.

The life cycle of the microphallid trematode, Gynaccotyla nassicola (Cable and Hunninen, 1938) Yamaguti, 1939, has been determined experimentally and the various stages described and figured. The miricidia penetrate the mud snail, Nassa obsoleta (Say), develop into oval sporocysts that produce daughter sporocysts and cercariae of the ubiquita type. The cercariae penetrate the branchial lamellae of the sand flea, Talorchestia longicornis (Say), then migrate through the tissues to the pericardial cavity where they encyst. Metacercariae develop into adults when the crustaceans are eaten by shore birds (plovers, sandpipers, etc.) or fed to experimental hosts (gulls).

The ecology of the hosts and parasite is discussed, indicating the close relationship between the distribution of the various animals involved. The differences between the Heterophyidae and the Microphallidae are indicated.

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