''Galactosomum'' is a
genus of
flukes in the family
Heterophyidae
Heterophyidae is a family of intestinal trematodes in the order Plagiorchiida.
Description: " Tegument covered by spines. Oral sucker not armed or armed by cyrcumoral spines. Pharynx presented. Genital synus presented. Ventral and genital suc ...
. There are currently 28 recognised
species within the genus. They mainly infect
aquatic birds
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
, but often infest
fish as
larvae. Three species are known to use
marine mammals
Marine mammals are aquatic mammals that rely on the ocean and other marine ecosystems for their existence. They include animals such as seals, whales, manatees, sea otters and polar bears. They are an informal group, unified only by their relia ...
as hosts.
Description
The excised spherical
metacercaria
Trematodes are parasitic flatworms of the class ''Trematoda'', specifically parasitic flukes with two suckers: one ventral and the other oral. Trematodes are covered by a tegument, that protects the organism from the environment by providing secr ...
is 2.7–4.9 mm long.
Generally, only one is found per fish.
Life cycle
Some species of ''Galactosomum'' cause infected fish to swim closer to the surface and colorfully flash their underbellies.
In fish, symptoms can be similar to those of
whirling disease caused by the unrelated parasite ''
Myxobolus cerebralis''.
hosting select species suffer from sensory impairment due to infestation. This makes these
prey animals more likely to be consumed by aquatic birds, providing a host for the parasite to reach the mature stage of its life cycle. ''Galactosomum'' cannot survive in human hosts.
Species
*''
Galactosomum baylisi''
(Gohar, 1930)
*''
Galactosomum bearupi''
Pearson, 1973
*''
Galactosomum cochlear''
(Diesing, 1850) Travassos, 1929
*''
Galactosomum cochleariforme''
(Rudolphi, 1819) Pratt, 1911
*''
Galactosomum darbyi
''Galactosomum'' is a genus of flukes in the family Heterophyidae. There are currently 28 recognised species within the genus. They mainly infect aquatic birds, but often infest fish as larvae. Three species are known to use marine mammals as h ...
''
Price, 1934
*''
Galactosomum dollfusi''
Pearson, 1973
*''
Galactosomum echinatum''
(Timon-David, 1955)
*''
Galactosomum erinaceum''
(Poirier, 1886)
*''
Galactosomum fregatae''
(Prudhoe, 1949)
*''
Galactosomum humbargari''
Park, 1936
*''
Galactosomum johnsoni''
(Price, 1934)
*''
Galactosomum lacteum''
(Jägerskiöld, 1896)
*''
Galactosomum linguiforme''
Anantaraman, 1974
*''
Galactosomum nicolai''
(Isaichikov, 1927)
*''
Galactosomum palawanense''
Fischthal & Kuntz, 1972
*''
Galactosomum phalacrocoracis''
Yamaguti, 1939
*''
Galactosomum puffini
''Galactosomum'' is a genus of flukes in the family Heterophyidae. There are currently 28 recognised species within the genus. They mainly infect aquatic birds
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves ...
''
Yamaguti, 1941
*''
Galactosomum renincola''
Pearson, 1973
*''
Galactosomum sanaense''
Kobayashi, 1942
*''
Galactosomum semifuscum''
(Olsson, 1876)
*''
Galactosomum sinuilactis
''Galactosomum'' is a genus of flukes in the family Heterophyidae. There are currently 28 recognised species within the genus. They mainly infect aquatic birds, but often infest fish as larvae. Three species are known to use marine mammals as h ...
''
Pearson, 1973
*''
Galactosomum spinetum''
(Braun, 1901)
*''
Galactosomum stelleri
''Galactosomum'' is a genus of flukes in the family Heterophyidae. There are currently 28 recognised species within the genus. They mainly infect aquatic birds, but often infest fish as larvae. Three species are known to use marine mammals as h ...
''
Dailey, Demaree & Critchfield, 2002
*''
Galactosomum timondavidi''
Pearson & Prévot, 1971
*''
Galactosomum ubelakeri
''Galactosomum'' is a genus of flukes in the family Heterophyidae. There are currently 28 recognised species within the genus. They mainly infect aquatic birds, but often infest fish as larvae. Three species are known to use marine mammals as h ...
''
(Dailey, 1969) Pearson, 1977
*''
Galactosomum ussuriense''
Oshmarin, 1963
*''
Galactosomum witenbergi''
Anantaraman, 1974
*''
Galactosomum yehi''
(Dissanaike, 1961) Pearson, 1973
References
External links
Heterophyidae
Suicide-inducing parasitism
{{Trematoda-stub