The genus Archigetes
Leuckart, 1878 is unique among all tapeworms in that its species can mature in invertebrate hosts (
Oligochaeta
Oligochaeta () is a subclass of animals in the phylum Annelida, which is made up of many types of aquatic and terrestrial worms, including all of the various earthworms. Specifically, oligochaetes comprise the terrestrial megadrile earthworm ...
), in contrast to all other cestodes which have a vertebrate host.
All five species were described as plerocercoids in oligochaetes, but two of them were also described as adults in
cypriniform
Cypriniformes is an order of ray-finned fish, including the carps, minnows, loaches, and relatives. Cypriniformes is an Order within the Superorder Ostariophysi consisting of "Carp-like" Ostariophysins. This order contains 11-12 families, ...
fishes.
Species
According to WoRMS, there are five valid species:
* ''Archigetes brachyurus''
Mrázek, 1908
* ''Archigetes cryptobothrius''
Wiśniewski, 1928
* ''Archigetes iowensis''
Calentine, 1962
* ''Archigetes limnodrili''
( Yamaguti, 1934) Kennedy, 1965[Kennedy CR. 1965. Taxonomic studies on ''Archigetes'' Leuckart, 1878 (Cestoda, Caryophyllidea). Parasitology, 55, 439–451.]
* ''Archigetes sieboldi''
Leuckart, 1878
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q16528369
Eucestoda
Parasitic animals of mammals
Cestoda genera