Tetraphyllidea

{{Short description|Order of flatworms}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Anthobothrium cornucopia.jpg | image_caption = Scolex of a tetraphyllid | taxon = Tetraphyllidea | authority = Carus, 1863 | subdivision_ranks = Families | subdivision = *Balanobothriidae Pintner, 1928 *Calliobothriidae Perrier, 1897 *Dioecotaeniidae Schmidt, 1969 *Gastrolecithidae *Rhoptrobothriidae Caira, Jensen & Ruhnke, 2017 *Serendipeidae Brooks & Barriga, 1995 *Shindeobothriiidae Shinde & Chincholikar, 1975 *Triloculariidae Yamaguti, 1959 }}

'''Tetraphyllidea''' is a large tapeworm order that contains some 60 genera and about 800 described species. Tetraphyllideans are remarkable for their scolex morphologies, which are the most varied and morphologically complex amongst all tapeworm orders.

Tetraphyllidean cestodes also exhibit a remarkable degree of host specificity. The procercoid probably parasitizes copepods, which are eaten by the second intermediate hosts: teleost fishes, decapods or cephalopods, which may also serve as paratenic hosts. The verified definite hosts are sharks, skates and stingrays.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Tomáš Scholz, Louis Euzet & František Moravec |year=1998 |title=Taxonomic status of ''Pelichnibothrium speciosum'' Monticelli, 1889 (Cestoda: Tetraphyllidea), a mysterious parasite of ''Alepisaurus ferox'' Lowe (Teleostei: Alepisauridae) and ''Prionace glauca'' (L.) (Euselachii: Carcharinidae) |journal=Systematic Parasitology |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=1–8 |doi=10.1023/A:1006091102174 |s2cid=33831101 |url=https://doi.org/10.1023%2FA%3A1006091102174|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Occasionally found in cetaceans, the role of these apex predators in the tetraphyllidean life cycle is not well known; whales and dolphins may be definite or dead-end hosts.

''Crossobothrium antonioi'' is a recently discovered species in the genus ''Crossobothrium'', which belongs to the order Tetraphyllidea.<ref name="c.antonioi">[http://tapewormdb.uconn.edu/data/citations/pdf/4552/Ivanov2009.pdf New species of ''Crossobothrium'' (Cestoda:Tetraphyllidea) from the broadnose sevengill shark, ''Notorynchus cepedianus'', in Argentina]</ref> It is a parasitic tapeworm that infects ''Notorynchus cepedianus'', the broadnose sevengill shark.<ref name="c.antonioi" /> ''C. antonioi'' was discovered off the coast of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.<ref name="c.antonioi" /> ''C. antonioi'' was recovered from the spiral intestine of ''N. cepedianus'' and named after the lead researcher's father, Antonio Ivanov.<ref name="c.antonioi" /> ''C. antonioi'' is the smallest species in its genus and about 47.4-51.5 mm long; other species in the genus are about twice as long as ''C. antonioi''.<ref name="c.antonioi" /> It has 4 stalked bothridia ("sucking grooves") on its scolex.<ref name="c.antonioi" /> Its proglottids, which are the segments of tapeworms that contain the reproductive structures, are longer than wide when immature, and become wider than long at maturity.<ref name="c.antonioi" /> However, the proglottids at each stage are generally the same shape.<ref name="c.antonioi" /> ''C. antonioi'' also have crenulated bothridial margins and a microthrix pattern that varies from other species in ''Crossobothrium''.<ref name="c.antonioi" /> The most notable and unique quality of ''C. antonioi'' is the large amount of testes per mature proglottid.<ref name="c.antonioi" /> ''C. antonioi'' has more than 700 testes per proglottid, whereas other ''Crossobothrium'' species have ~150-300 testes per proglottid.<ref name="c.antonioi" />

==References== {{Reflist}}

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Category:Eucestoda Category:Flatworm orders