College of Science & Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.
Parasitology. 2023 May;150(6):505-510. doi: 10.1017/S0031182023000197. Epub 2023 Mar 8.
is an understudied genus of pentastomids native to Australia and south-east Asia. The genus was recognized in 1922 but there has been little research on these pentastomid tongue worms over the last century. A few observations suggest a complex life cycle through 3 trophic levels. We aimed to add knowledge to the life cycle in woodland habitats in the Townsville region of north-east Australia. We used camera trapping to identify the most likely first-intermediate hosts (coprophagous insects), we conducted gecko surveys to identify multiple new gecko intermediate host species and we dissected road-killed snakes to identify additional definitive hosts. Our study paves the way for further research into the intriguing life cycle of , investigation of spatial variation in prevalence and impacts of the parasite on host species.
是一个研究较少的属,原产于澳大利亚和东南亚。该属于 1922 年被确认,但在过去的一个世纪里,对这些五口虫舌虫的研究甚少。一些观察表明,它们通过 3 个营养级经历了一个复杂的生命周期。我们的目的是增加澳大利亚东北部汤斯维尔地区林地生境中的生命周期知识。我们使用摄像机陷阱来识别最有可能的第一中间宿主(食粪昆虫),我们进行了壁虎调查,以确定多种新的壁虎中间宿主物种,我们解剖了被车撞死的蛇,以确定额外的确定宿主。我们的研究为进一步研究 的有趣生命周期铺平了道路,调查寄生虫对宿主物种的流行和影响的空间变化。